Card personalization system and method

ABSTRACT

A system and method for personalizing cards and other secure identification documents. The card personalizing system and method have improved data integrity, system reliability, and system performance. Improvements to card handling and processing within the modules, improved card transfer between modules, improvements to control of the modules, and other improvements are set forth, all of which contribute, individually and collectively, to achieving these goals.

PRIOR APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/352,648, filed Jan. 28, 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a system and method for producing andpersonalizing identity documents. In particular, this invention relatesto a system and method for producing and personalizing data bearingplastic cards such as financial (e.g. credit and debit) cards, drivers'licenses, national identification cards, and other cards which arepersonalized with information unique to the card holder and/or withother card or document information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Card personalization systems and methods used in producing personalizedcards and other personalized identity documents have been employed byinstitutions that issue such documents. Identity documents which areoften personalized by such systems and methods includes plastic andcomposite cards, such as financial (e.g. credit and debit) cards,drivers' licenses, national identification cards, and other cards anddocuments which are personalized with information unique to the intendeddocument holder.

Card personalization systems and methods can be designed for smallscale, individual card personalization and production. In these systems,a single card to be personalized is input into a personalizationmachine, which typically includes one or two personalization/productioncapabilities, such as printing and laminating.

For large volume, batch production of cards, institutions often utilizesystems that employ multiple processing stations or modules to processmultiple cards at the same time to reduce the overall per cardprocessing time. Examples of such systems includes the DataCard 9000series available from DataCard Corporation of Minneapolis, Minn., thesystem disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,054, and the system disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,266,781 and its progeny. Common to each of these typesof systems is an input with the ability to hold a relatively largenumber of cards that are to be personalized/produced, a plurality ofpersonalization/production stations through which each card is directedto perform a personalization/production operation, and an output thatholds the personalized cards. Personalization and production operationsthat are typically performed on the cards include the programming ofdata onto a magnetic stripe of the card, monochromatic and/or colorprinting, programming an integrated circuit chip in the card, embossing,and applying various topcoat and protective layers. A controller istypically employed to transfer data information and instructions foroperating the input, the personalization/production stations, and theoutput.

In batch card personalization and production systems, such as theDataCard 9000 series, data integrity (e.g. ensuring that the correctdata is placed onto the proper card), and system reliability andperformance are important. Any improvements in these areas, includingimprovements in the personalization process and the modules used toimplement the process, will improve the utility of batch cardpersonalization and production systems.

The present invention, as described hereinbelow, provides improvementsupon one or more of the above described existing and previous cardpersonalization systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system for personalizing cards andother secure identification documents. Further, the present inventionprovides methods of personalizing cards and secure documents. One objectof the present invention is to provide a card personalization systemwith improved data integrity, reliability, and performance.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a card personalizationsystem includes an input at one end of the system that holds a supply ofcards and inputs the cards for personalization by the system. The inputdelivers each of the cards to a plurality of card processing modulesarranged in sequence, where one module is downstream from a previousmodule. An output is disposed at an end of the card personalizationsystem, and collects cards that have been personalized by the cardprocessing modules. Together the input, plurality of processing modules,and output define a card track, which enables each card to advancethrough the system. A controller is operatively connected to and incommunication with the input, each of the processing modules, and theoutput. Processing and data information is transferred to and from thecontroller to the input, processing modules, and output.

In one embodiment, the system is arranged and configured to operate suchthat at least one of the modules exits a processed card before acceptingentry of another card to be processed by the module. Preferably, thesystem is arranged and configured to operate such that a card can beoutput to the next module after the module completes itspersonalization, provided the next module is ready to receive the card(i.e. the next module has already processed its card and exited thecard), and once the card exits the module, the module is ready toreceive another card from the adjacent upstream module.

More preferably, each module in the system operates such that entry of acard into a module occurs only after a processed card has exited themodule, or when no card is in the module, where card transfer by theplurality of modules in the system is configured in a cascadingarrangement.

In one embodiment, the processing modules are supported on a mountingmechanism. The mounting mechanism includes common support structures toenable secure connection and proper alignment of the modules.

In one embodiment, each of the processing modules includes statusindicators incorporated therein and in communication with thecontroller. A status indicator is also incorporated into an operatorstation of the system. The status indicators provide the disposition andoperation status of each of the modules.

In one embodiment, the controller that is used to control operation ofthe system provides a networking system. The networking system residesin the controller, wherein configurative adjustments may be made at thecontroller for each card processing module connected within the system.

In one embodiment, the plurality of processing modules include, but arenot limited to, a magnetic stripe module, an embossing module, a smartcard programming module, a printer module, a laser module, a graphicsmodule, and a cleaning module.

In one embodiment, a method for personalizing cards includes picking acard from an input, placing the card in a card track, and inputting thecard to a first processing module. The card is transferred along thecard track to additional processing modules arranged in sequence. Thecard is collected at an output after being personalized by one or moreof the processing modules. Each of the processing modules personalizes asingle card at a time, such that one card at a time is transferredthrough each processing module, wherein the processing modules transfercards in a cascading configuration. A controller is provided to transferdata and other information to and from each of the system components,and to monitor operation of the system.

The present invention provides the advantages of a card personalizationsystem and method having improved data integrity, reliability, andperformance.

These and other various advantages and features of novelty, whichcharacterize the invention, are pointed out in the following detaileddescription. For better understanding of the invention, its advantages,and the objects obtained by its use, reference should also be made tothe drawings which form a further part hereof, and to accompanyingdescriptive matter, in which there are illustrated and describedspecific examples of an apparatus in accordance with the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers representcorresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 represents a front perspective view of one embodiment of a cardpersonalization system in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 represents a rear perspective view of the card personalizationsystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 represents a front perspective view of one embodiment of amounting mechanism incorporated in the card personalization system ofFIG. 1 in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 4 represents a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method forpersonalizing a card in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 represents a side view of one embodiment of an input hopper inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 6 represents a top view of the input hopper of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6 a represents a side view of one embodiment of a card pusher andrelease mechanism of an input hopper in accordance with the principlesof the present invention.

FIG. 7 represents a top view of one embodiment of method for a cardbeing picked for processing in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 represents a top view of the method of FIG. 7 of a card beingpicked for processing.

FIG. 9 represents a side view of a method for releasing a card tray inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 10 represents a side view of the method for releasing the card trayof FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 represents a side view of the method for releasing the card trayof FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 represents a side view of the method for releasing the card trayof FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 represents a side view of the method for releasing the card trayof FIG. 9.

FIG. 14 represents a side view of the method for releasing the card trayof FIG. 9 with the card tray in a released position.

FIG. 15 represents a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method forpicking a card from an input hopper in accordance with the principles ofthe present invention.

FIG. 16 a front perspective view of one embodiment of a magnetic stripemodule in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a rear perspective view of the magnetic stripe module.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the drive assembly used in the magneticstripe module.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a portion of the magnetic stripe moduleillustrating details of the card eject mechanism.

FIG. 20 illustrates the upper plate with the write and read head unitsof the magnetic stripe module disposed in a service position.

FIG. 21 is a front, right perspective view of interior portions of thelaser module illustrating details thereof.

FIG. 22 is a front, left perspective view of interior portions of thelaser module illustrating details thereof.

FIG. 23 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the card stop of thelaser module illustrating details of the channel.

FIGS. 24-26 are perspective views of the laser mechanism used in thelaser module.

FIG. 27 is a schematic depiction of the laser module and the arrangementof the laser power sources.

FIGS. 28-29 are schematic depictions of portions of the laser mechanismillustrating the laser adjustment concept.

FIG. 30 represents a rear perspective view of one embodiment of agraphics module in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 31 represents a rear perspective view of the graphics module ofFIG. 30 with a print ribbon incorporated.

FIG. 32 represents a front perspective view of one embodiment of aroller configuration of a card path for the graphics module of FIG. 30.

FIG. 33 represents a perspective view of a printhead in a print positionfor the graphics module of FIG. 30.

FIG. 34 represents a top view of one embodiment of an output hopper inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 35 a represents a perspective view of one embodiment of a card insensor bracket for the output hopper of FIG. 34 in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention.

FIG. 35 b represents a top view of the card in sensor bracket of FIG. 35a.

FIG. 35 c represents a front view of the card in sensor bracket of FIG.35 a.

FIG. 35 d represents a side view of the card in sensor bracket of FIG.35 a.

FIG. 36 represents a perspective view of one embodiment of a card feederexiting a card in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 37 represents a perspective view of the card feeder of FIG. 36exiting a card.

FIG. 38 represents a perspective view of the card feeder of FIG. 36exiting a card.

FIG. 39 represents a top view of one embodiment of a card feeder exitinga card in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 40 represents a top view of the card feeder of FIG. 39 exiting acard.

FIG. 41 represents a top view of the card feeder of FIG. 39 exiting acard.

FIG. 42 represents a perspective view of one embodiment of a magneticstripe readhead unit in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 43 represents a side view of the magnetic stripe readhead unit ofFIG. 42.

FIG. 43 a represents a cross sectional view of one embodiment of areadhead in the magnetic stripe readhead unit of FIG. 43 in accordancewith the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 44 represents a side view of one embodiment of a readhead holder inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGS. 45 a-c illustrate an alternative embodiment of a readhead and areadhead holder.

FIG. 46 represents a perspective view of one embodiment of a roller inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 47 represents a top view of the roller of FIG. 46.

FIG. 48 represents side cross sectional view of the roller of FIG. 46.

FIG. 49 a represents a top view of one embodiment of a roller includinga locking pin in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 49 b represents a bottom view of the roller of FIG. 49 a.

FIG. 50 represents a perspective view of one embodiment of a roller inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 51 represents a top view of the roller of FIG. 50.

FIG. 52 represents a side view of the roller of FIG. 50.

FIG. 53 represents a side view of the roller of FIG. 50.

FIG. 54 illustrates a prior art magnetic head.

FIG. 55 is a side view of a magnetic head having a resistance wearsensor.

FIG. 56 is an edge view of the resistance wear sensor of FIG. 55.

FIG. 57 is a perspective view of the cleaning mechanism within thecleaning module in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 58 is a top view of the cleaning mechanism in a stand-byoperational state.

FIG. 59 is a top view of the cleaning mechanism in a cleaning state.

FIG. 60 is a top view of the cleaning mechanism in a tape replacementstate.

FIG. 61 represents a top side perspective view of one embodiment for atake up roll core in accordance with the principals of the presentinvention.

FIG. 62 represents a partial sectional view of the take up roll core ofFIG. 61.

FIG. 63 represents a sectional view of the take up roll core of FIG. 61in one embodiment of a first configuration before or during web producttake up.

FIG. 63 a represents a sectional view of the take up roll core of FIG.61 in one embodiment of a second configuration for web product removal.

FIG. 64 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a direct drive cammechanism for use in an embossing module.

FIG. 65 is a cross-sectional view through the cam illustrating how thecan is mounted on the shaft.

FIG. 66 is a perspective view of a cam sleeve used to mount the cam onthe shaft.

FIG. 67 is a perspective view, partly in section, of an embossing wheelassembly for using in the embossing module.

FIG. 68 illustrates the mounting bracket used in the embossing module.

FIGS. 69, 70, and 71 illustrate an alternate embodiment of a card feedermechanism in the output hopper.

FIG. 72 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of a magnetic stripereader that can be used in the output hopper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following description of the illustrated embodiments, referenceis made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration of the embodiments in which theinvention may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized as structural changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate perspective views of one embodiment of a cardpersonalization system 10 in assembled form. The card personalizationsystem 10, referred hereafter as the system 10, includes an operatorstation 20, an input hopper 30, a plurality of processing modules 40,and an output hopper 50.

The operator station 20 includes a housing 27 having a work surface 21formed on the top of the housing 27. A system controller 22, illustratedin dashed lines in FIGS. 1 and 2, resides in the housing 27. Thecontroller 22 controls operation of the system 10 and transfers data toand from the input hopper 30, the modules 40 and the output hopper 50.The controller 22 can be a computer or any central processing unitsuitable for transferring data and processing information. Operatorinterface means 23, 23 a are connected to a data port system 23 b of thecontroller 22 to permit control commands and data input to thecontroller 22. Preferably, the interface means 23, 23 a are a keyboardand mouse, as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, it will be appreciatedthat other suitable interface means may be employed. Each module 40 alsoincludes it own module controller (not shown) that controls thefunctions and operation of the respective module.

In addition, the operator station 20 includes an interface or monitor 25to enable display and viewing of data pertaining to the operation of thecontroller 22, the input and output hoppers 30, 50, and the processingmodules 40. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the monitor 25 is preferablymounted to the station 20 through a support 24, which may be but is notlimited to a pole. Further, a status indicator 80 may be employed at thetop of the support 24 for indicating an operational status of the system10.

As shown in FIG. 2, data and control commands are communicated betweenthe controller 22 and the various components of the system 10 via datalines 97. Preferably, a data line 97 runs from the controller 22 to eachsystem component, so that data and commands are directly received fromthe controller 22. For example, a pair of data lines 97 connect to theinput hopper 30 to provide control and/or data inputs to each inputmechanism of the hopper 30. Similarly, at least one data line 97connects to the first module 40 to provide data and control inputs tothe first module.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an emergency stop button 29 is provided onthe work surface 21. When the button 29 is pressed, operation of thesystem 10 is stopped. In addition, the system 10 preferably includes atleast one pause/resume button 28 to allow the system operator totemporarily pause system operation, such as when clearing a card jam,and to thereafter resume system operation simply by pressing the button28. The pause/resume button(s) 28 can be located at any convenientlocation on the system 10. In the preferred embodiment, a pause/resumebutton 28 is provided on each of the input hopper 30 and the outputhopper 50 (only the output hopper 50 button is visible in the figures).If desired, pause/resume buttons could also be provided on one or moreof the modules 40 and/or on the operator station 20. Pause/resumecapability could also be incorporated into the keyboard 23 or the mouse23 a and monitor 25.

The input hopper 30 is releasably connected at its upstream side 39 a toa side of the operator station 20. The input hopper 30 preferablyincludes at least one tray 37 holding a supply of cards 37 a.Preferably, the input hopper 30 includes a plurality of trays 37,thereby increasing the number of cards that can be automatically fedinto the system 10. A cover 31 protects the inside of the input hopper30. A status indicator 35 is provided on the input hopper 30 to indicatean operational status of the input hopper 30. The indicator 35 may be,but is not limited to, a light indicator.

The input hopper 30 works by picking a card 37 a from the supply ofcards held in one of the trays 37, and transferring the card into theadjacent downstream processing module 40 to begin personalization of thecard. As an alternative to picking a card from the input hopper 30, anacception card slot 26 is provided in the work surface 21 of theoperator station 20 upstream of the input hopper 30 and communicatingwith the card track and card transport mechanism of the input hopper.The card slot 26 allows input of a single card into the system 10, toenable personalization of a select card and/or to enable re-insertion ofa previously picked card into the system, such as when an error occurs.Further description is provided below of an input hopper in accordancewith the principles of the present invention.

The plurality of processing modules 40 are disposed at a downstream side39 b of the input hopper 30. The plurality of processing modules 40 areconfigured in a sequential arrangement, with each processing modulebeing sequentially connected to a downstream side of a previousprocessing module or the input hopper 30. Particularly, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, a first processing module is connected to the downstreamside 39 b of the input hopper 30, with the additional processing moduleseach being sequentially arranged downstream.

As with the input hopper 30, each processing module 40 includes a cover41 and a status indicator 45. The covers 41 may include a transparentsurface 43 allowing a user or operator to view the inside of each of theprocessing modules 40. The status indicator provides an indication of anoperational status of the respective processing module 40, and may bebut is not limited to a light indicator. A variety of processing modules40 may be employed in the system 10, some of which are further detailedbelow in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Examples of processing modules 40 that may be included in the system 10are a magnetic stripe module (described below) for writing data to andreading data from a magnetic stripe on the cards, an embossing module(described below) for forming embossed characters on the cards, a smartcard programming module for programming an integrated circuit chip onthe cards, a printer module for performing monochromatic or multi-colorprinting, a laser module (described below) for performing laserpersonalization on the cards, a graphics module (described below) forapplying monochromatic data and images to the cards, a cleaning module(described below) for cleaning the cards, a topping module for applyinga topcoat to the cards, and a card punching module to punch or cut ahole into the cards and/or to punch the card into a specific shape.

Each of the processing modules 40 is connected into the system 10through a mounting mechanism 60. FIG. 3 best illustrates the features ofthe mounting mechanism 60. As shown in FIG. 3, two adjacent mountingmechanisms 60 a and 60 b are shown detached from each other. It will beappreciated that mounting mechanism 60 a includes equivalent parts asmounting mechanism 60 b. The mounting mechanisms 60 a, 60 b includeframes 67 a, 67 b. The frames 67 a, 67 b each include a top 73 a, 73 b,and a bottom 71 a, 71 b to provide structural support for a processingmodule. At the top 73 a, 73 b, a platform 65 a, 65 b is provided with asubstantially flat surface, where a processing module is positioned andheld.

FIG. 3 shows a downstream side 75 a of mounting mechanism 60 a and anupstream side 75 b of mounting mechanism 60 b. However, it will beappreciated that each mounting mechanism 60 a, 60 b includes an upstreamside and a downstream side. As shown, the mounting mechanism 60 bincludes a pair of locator pins 63 b that fit into a corresponding pairof locator holes (not shown) of the adjacent mounting mechanism 60 a.The locator holes and pins 63 b provide a means for aligning andconnecting adjacent mounting mechanisms 60 a, 60 b to ensure properalignment of the mounting mechanisms and thereby the processing modulesof the card personalization system. In addition, mounting holes 63 d aredisposed at the bottom 71 b of the mounting mechanism 60 b, and similarmounting holes (not shown) are disposed at the bottom 71 a of themounting mechanism 60 a. The mounting holes 63 d are connected by commonscrews 63 c (only one screw is visible in FIG. 3) which fasten adjacentmounting mechanisms together. A similar arrangement of mounting holes(not shown) and mounting screws 63 a (only one screw is visible in FIG.3) is provided at the tops 73 a, 73 b of the mounting mechanisms 60 a,60 b. It will be appreciated any suitable screw or other fastener may beemployed for connecting the mounting holes. Moreover, it will beappreciated that other configurations of locating pins and holes may beemployed to provide proper connection and alignment between respectiveadjacent mounting mechanisms 60 a, 60 b.

At an upstream side 75 b of mounting mechanism 60 b, a bracket 61 ismounted at the top 73 a, 73 b of the mounting mechanism 60 a, 60 b. Thebracket 61 provides a common support structure, such that when adjacentmounting mechanisms 60 a, 60 b are connected together, the bracket 61 isshared between the adjacent modules. Preferably, the bracket 61 providesa mount structure for mounting the processing mechanisms of theprocessing modules. It will be appreciated that mounting mechanism 60 aalso includes a bracket, similar to bracket 61, on its upstream side.Further, it will be appreciated that the bracket 61 may be disposed atthe downstream sides of mounting mechanisms 60 a, 60 b to achieve thesame shared results. The common bracket 61 between the adjacent mountingmechanisms also provides improved alignment of the card path betweenprocessing modules sharing the bracket 61 and mounted on the mountingmechanisms. Two adjacent processing modules are mounted on respectivemounting mechanisms, such as 60 a, 60 b, and share a bracket 61 as acommon mount and support structure for the processing modules. Such astructure preserves alignment of the card path between processingmodules.

Preferably, each of the processing modules 40 mounted on a mountingmechanism, such as 60 a, 60 b, are configured to have frames with widthsof 9.0 inches, 6.25 inches, or 12.5 inches, or a combination thereof formounting particular processing modules. Preferably, 12.5 inch frames usetwo 6.25 inch frames and respective covers, and front and back panels.

The input hopper 30, each module 40, and the output hopper 50 alsoinclude at least one panel 94 on the backside thereof, as best seen inFIG. 2. The panel 94 angles outwardly and upwardly away from the rear ofthe hopper or module, and together with the other panels 94, define atrough or channel 96. The trough 96 provides a convenient location forpassing electrical and data cables and the like along the rear of thesystem. Each hopper 30, 50 and the modules 40 include at least onepassage 95 in a back side thereof through which power and data cablescan pass into the interior of the hopper or module, to provide power,data and control signals to the respective hopper or module controller.Power to the system 10 is input from a power cable (not shown) thatconnects to a power plug-in 90 provided on the backside of the operatorstation 20 as shown in FIG. 2. If the system 10 requires more power thanthat provided by a single power plug-in, an additional power plug-in canbe provided on one of the downstream modules 40. In this case, upstreamportions of the system 10 are provided power through the power plug-in90, while downstream portions of the system are provided power throughthe power plug-in associated with the module 40.

After a card has been personalized by each of the processing modules 40,it is exited to an output hopper 50 that collects and stacks thefinished cards. The output hopper 50 is disposed after the mostdownstream processing module 40. The output hopper 50 includes at leastone collecting tray 57, and more preferably a plurality of collectingtrays 57. One collecting tray 57 is preferably used to collect properlypersonalized cards while a second tray 57 b is used to collectimproperly personalized cards or defective cards that result from errorsin processing. As with the input hopper 30 and the processing modules40, the output hopper includes a cover 51 and a status indicator 55. Thecover 51 and the status indicator 55 operate similarly to the cover andstatus indicator for the input hopper 30 and therefore are not furtherdiscussed herein. Further description is provided below of the outputhopper 50 in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 4 provides a flow diagram of one preferred method 80 forpersonalizing a card. The method 80 includes picking a plurality ofcards, one at a time, from an input, and transferring the cards, one ata time, to a first processing module 81. At the first processing module,personalized information is applied 83 to the cards as each card istransferred through the first processing module. After one card isfinished being personalized by the first processing module, it is thentransferred to at least one more processing module 85. The at least onemore processing module or next processing module is arranged in sequencedownstream from the first processing module. It will be appreciated thatany additional processing modules also are arranged in a sequentialmanner. Personalized information is applied to each of the cards one ata time using the next processing module 87.

The processing modules employ a cascading sequence 89 to transfer cardsthrough each of the processing modules. Particularly, when a module hascompleted personalizing a card, the card is completely transferred outof the module before the next card is transferred into the module froman upstream module. Then, the following card is transferred into theupstream module, and so on. Card transfers cascade, one at a time, fromthe downstream most module to the upstream most module. In this manner,only one card is in a module at a time. This improves system integrityby simplifying control algorithms, and reduces the likelihood that cardsor their data can ever be mixed up in a module. However, in certainmodules, such as the smart card programming module, a plurality of cardscan be processed at the same time.

To further improve system integrity and assure that no module ever hastwo cards or parts of cards in it at any time, each module of the system10 includes an entry and exit photocell. The entry photocell verifiesthat a card has entered the module, and the exit photocell verifies thata card has left the module. The entry and exit photocells of the modulesare connected to the respective module controller so that the moduleknows when a card is entering or exiting the respective module. Themodule controller communicates this card status information to thesystem controller 22. Means, such as entry rollers on the module itselfor rollers from an upstream module, transfer cards into the respectivemodule. Similarly, means, such as exit rollers in the module or a cardtransport system of the module, transfer cards to the next module.

After a card is personalized by the processing modules, the card iscollected in an output 91. A controller, such as controller 22 shown anddescribed in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the module controllers, are operated 93to transfer and monitor processing and data information to and from theinput, processing modules, and output in personalizing the cards.

The system 10 has been described so far as including a single module 40of any one of the different types of modules 40, i.e. a single magneticstripe module, a single laser module, a single graphics module, etc.Often times, the time required by an individual personalization moduleto complete its particular personalization task may be long, such thatthe immediately adjacent upstream module must wait until thepersonalization task is complete before sending a new card to thedownstream personalization module. Because the immediately adjacentupstream module must wait, further upstream modules may also have towait for the personalization task of the first module to be completed.In effect then, a long personalization task in one module caneffectively cause the system 10 to pause until the personalization ofthe one module is complete.

To avoid this situation, a plurality of any one of the modules can beused, with the identical modules arranged side-by-side in the system 10.By using a plurality of the same type of module, each module can beassigned to perform a similar personalization task. Therefore, if afirst module that is assigned to perform for example, a laserpersonalization task, has not completed its personalization task, thenext card from the immediately adjacent upstream module can betransported to the second laser module rather than waiting forcompletion of the personalization in the first laser module. Additionalmodules performing a particular personalization task can be added asneeded in order to prevent pausing of the system. This concept ofgrouping modules that perform similar personalization tasks increasescard throughput.

In addition, if a plurality of one type of module is used, each modulecan be assigned different personalization tasks. For instance, if aplurality of laser modules are used, one laser module can be used topersonalize one line of information onto a card, after which the card istransferred to the next laser module which is used to personalize asecond line of information onto the card. If needed, the card can betransferred to additional laser modules for personalization of otherinformation onto the card. Therefore, a long personalization task can bebroken up into distinct task segments, with each module being assignedto handle one of the task segments, rather than the entirepersonalization task being performed by a single module. This alsoincreases card throughput.

Processing Modules

The following descriptions are provided to illustrate features andimprovements upon respective processing modules of the cardpersonalization system 10 in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof,and in which is shown by way of illustration of the embodiments in whichthe invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized as structural changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Input Hopper

Input hoppers are needed to provide a supply of cards and input thecards to be processed and personalized by any following processingmodules. The input hopper 30 includes trays for holding a supply ofstacked cards to be processed. In addition, cards are selected to beentered into a card track, and input to a downstream processing module.Typically, the cards are selected using roller assemblies and a suctioncup to pick each card from a card tray. Usually, a card pusher isemployed to apply a force against the card stack and continuouslyreseats the card stack after each picked card. However, these designsemploy separating rollers that rotate towards a respective card to bepicked and use the reduced air pressure provided by the suction cupalone to pick and pull a card from the card supply tray. In addition, aspring load usually is employed with the card pusher to provide theforce against the card stack.

Although these designs may be suitable for their purpose, improvementsmay still be made. There is still a need for an input hopper thatprovides a higher reliability and efficiency for holding and inputtingcards to be processed by a card personalization system. The followingdescription illustrates the features and improvements made upon existingdesigns of an input hopper in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the input hopper 30 of the system 10 ispositioned adjacent to and immediately downstream from the operatorstation 20 for inputting cards upstream of all of the modules 40. Itwill be appreciated that one or more similar input hoppers may also belocated within the system downstream from the input hopper 30 andbetween two or more of the modules 40. In this configuration, cards canbe inserted at into the card path of the system at the location(s) ofthe input hopper, allowing the cards to bypass one or more of themodules 40. Thus, multiple input hoppers can exist within the cardpersonalization system 10, including between modules 40.

FIGS. 5-15 illustrate an input hopper 200 according to the presentinvention. Preferably, the module 200 is capable of inputting cards upto 3000 cards per hour.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate side and top views of one preferred embodimentof the input hopper 200. The input hopper 200 includes a frame 210having a front 215 a, a back 215 b, a top 211 a, a bottom 211 b, andupstream and downstream sides 219 a, 219 b (best shown in FIG. 6),respectively. The frame 210 includes a slot 213 extending from the front215 a toward the back 215 b. At least one card tray 230 includes a front231 a, a back 231 b, a top 235 a, a bottom 235 b, and sides 233 a, 233b. The card tray 230 is disposed on the top 211 a of the frame 210 andextends a length from the front 215 a toward the back 215 b of the frame210. A trough 247 provides a space for a supply of cards to be heldbefore being picked for processing by downstream processing modules. Thecard tray 230 also includes a slot 237 extending from the front 231 atoward the back 231 b of the card tray 230. The slot 237 of the cardtray 230 corresponds with the slot 213 of the frame 210. As shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, one tray 230 is illustrated. However, it will beappreciated that a plurality of card trays, such as card tray 230, mayalso be employed. Preferably, the input hopper 200 employs card trays,such as the card tray 230, in pairs.

A card pusher 260 is operatively connected to the frame 210 and itscorresponding card tray 230. The card pusher 260 extends through theslots 213, 237 of the frame 210 and card tray, respectively. Further,the card pusher 260 is movable back and forth along the slots 213 and237. The card pusher 260 includes a backstop 265 having a handle, and ispivotally engaged to a frame 261 having a support structure 263. Thebackstop 265 includes an upper portion 279 a with a section 265 a havinga width greater than a width of a section 265 b of a lower portion 279b. The width of section 265 a also is greater than a width of both slots213 and 237 of the frame 210 and card tray 230. The section 265 aprevents the card tray 230 from detaching from the frame 210 when inuse. The card tray 230 is released using a release mechanism 220actuated by movement of the card pusher 260 toward the front of theframe and tray, and when the card pusher 260, particularly section 265a, is cleared from the slots 213 and 237. FIGS. 9 to 14 below bestillustrate the release of the card tray 230.

FIG. 6 a illustrates one preferred embodiment of the backstop 265 of thecard pusher 260. Within the backstop 265, an upper shaft 275 a andbiasing member 275 c reside in the upper portion 279 a. A lower shaft275 b resides in the lower portion 279 b having a roller 277 operativelyconnected to the lower shaft 275 b. The upper shaft 275 a, lower shaft275 b, and roller 277 are biased by the biasing member 275 c to normallydisable a pivot position of the backstop 265 relative to the frame 261.The biasing member 277 is shown as a spring. However, it will beappreciated that other biasing members may be employed. The roller 277,lower shaft 275 b, and upper shaft 265 a may be pushed upward towardsthe upper portion 279 a of the backstop 265 to enable a pivot positionof the backstop 265 relative to the frame 261. The features and detailswill be further discussed in FIGS. 9 through 14 below.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate one preferred embodiment of picking a card 290from the card tray 230. FIG. 7 illustrates a suction cup 289 operativelyconnected to an active vacuum line 289 a and driven by a picker drive287 a. The vacuum line 289 a is illustrated as portion being an elbowjoint, and it will be appreciated that any suitable line may extend fromthe joint 289 a and attach to a conventional vacuum source (not shown).Preferably, the active vacuum line 289 a incorporates a valve foropening and closing the active vacuum supply to the suction cup 289.More preferably, the valve is a solenoid valve used to open the activevacuum line to the suction cup 289. The suction cup 289 moves toward thecard tray 230, as shown by the arrow A, to pick a card from the cardtray 230. Separation rollers 253 b contact the card 290 and rotate in adirection outwards from the card 290, shown by arrows B. The rotation ofthe separator rollers 253 b bend the card 290 in an outward directionfrom the card stack 291, thereby facilitating picking of the card 290from the card tray 230 using the suction cup 289 having the activevacuum applied. The separation rollers 253 b rotate as described tobreak intimate card surface contact at edges of the card 290 to allow asingle card to be pulled from the card stack 291.

FIG. 8 illustrates the suction cup 289 in contact with the card 290, andarrow C represents the direction the card 290 is pulled using thesuction cup 289. Further, a vacuum valve line connectable to an activevacuum source is operatively connected to the suction cup 289. As shownin FIG. 8, the separation rollers 253 b select and bend the card 290,and the suction cup 289, employing the active vacuum through the vacuumvalve line 289 a, pulls the card 290 straight back (arrow C) to the cardpath 250. The card 290 is pulled past the retainers 243 and out of thecard tray 230. Preferably, the retainers 243 are clips. Once the card290 is in the card path 250, a tab belt 255 moves the card, such as thecard 290, downstream along the card path 250 to entry rollers 253 a. Thetab belt 255 includes tabbed portions 255 a that contact the card anddrive the card along the card path 255. Preferably, a card guide 251including a slot 251 a is used to help facilitate transfer of the carddownstream along the card path 250. The entry rollers 253 a input acard, such as 290, into a downstream processing module.

FIGS. 9 to 14 represent positions of the card pusher 260 along the slots213 and 237 in the release of the card tray 230. At the front 215 a ofthe frame 210, a locking member 221 is releasably engaged to the cardtray 230 at a lock receiving portion 239. Preferably, the locking member221 is engaged to the card tray 230 when the card tray 230 is placed ontop of the frame 210 and the input hopper 200 is in use. A releasemechanism 220 also is disposed at the front 215 a of the frame 210, andis connected at the bottom 211 b.

As best shown altogether in FIG. 5, the release mechanism 220 includes aramp 225, curvature member 223, and finger portion 227. FIG. 9illustrates the card pusher 260 approaching the ramp 225 (arrow D) ofthe release mechanism 220. FIG. 10 shows the roller 277 of the cardpusher 260 in contact with the ramp 220. When the roller 277 moves alongthe ramp 277 toward the front 215 a of the frame 210, the roller may besimultaneously pushed upward into the backstop 265 of the card pusher260. In addition, the upper shaft 275 a and the lower shaft 275 b, suchas described above in FIG. 6 a, also move upward within the backstop265. The spring 275 c is also pushed upward enabling the upper shaft 275a to clear the pivot point 267 actuating the backstop 265 into apivotable position.

As the card pusher 260 moves along the ramp and contacts the curvaturemember 223, shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, the backstop 265 issimultaneously enabled into the pivotable position as described above.The backstop 265 walks around the curvature member 223 pivoting thebackstop 265 of the card pusher from its normally upright position, whenin use, toward a prostrate position. When the backstop 265 is in theprostrate position, the card pusher 260 moves through a space 237 a ofthe card tray 230 to clear the slots 213 and 237. Simultaneously, abearing block 273, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, contacts a hangingportion 221 a of the locking member 221. As the card pusher 260 movestoward the front 215 a of the frame 210, the bearing block 273 pushesthe locking member 221, through contact with the hanging portion 221 a,away from the lock receiving portion 239 of the card tray 230. FIGS. 12to 14 illustrate the card pusher 260 cleared from the slots 213, 237 andthe locking member in a release position.

The finger portion 227 of the release mechanism 220, and a curvaturemember 271 of the backstop 265 restore the card pusher 260 back to itsupright position for use. As the card pusher 260 moves toward the back215 b of the frame 210, the curvature member 271 of the backstop 265contacts the finger portion 227 (FIGS. 1 and 14), and can walk aroundthe finger portion 227 to pivot the backstop 265 back to the uprightposition.

The input hopper 200 employs the following motors and drive mechanismsin operating its respective functions. A tab belt motor 283 drives thetab belt 255 to move the card. A separator motor 285 and separatorroller drive 285 a operate the separation motors 253 b to pick a card.In addition, the picker motor 287 and drive 287 a move the suction cup289 back and forth from the card supply 291 of the card tray 230. Thecard pusher 260 includes a motor 281 and drive 281 a to move the pusheralong the slots 213 and 237 of the frame 210 and card tray 230 of theinput hopper 200.

FIG. 15 illustrates a flow diagram of a preferred embodiment for amethod 800 of picking a card (also shown in FIGS. 7 and 8) to betransported downstream to a processing module. A suction cup is advanced801 to a card stack supply. An active vacuum is supplied to the suctioncup to suitably grab the card. A force exerted on the card stack supplyby a cardpusher is relaxed 803, so as to enable separation rollers toposition the card to be picked. The separation rollers rotate away fromthe card 805 to contact edges of the card and bend the card outwardlyaway from the card stack supply. The card is picked by using the suctioncup, having the applied active vacuum, and the rotation of theseparation rollers. The card is picked by pulling the card out of thecard stack supply in a substantially straight direction (FIG. 8). Thecard is pulled toward the card path. Preferably, one card at a time froma card tray is picked to enter the card path. The active vacuum isreleased 809 so that the card may enter the card path for transferdownstream 811. As illustrated in the previous figures, a tab belt suchas 255 may be employed to transfer the card downstream on the card pathsuch as the card path 250.

After the card is released from the card stack supply, the card pushermay restore a suitable force against the remaining card supply, andreseat the card stack supply against the separation rollers. A highernumber of cards available in the card supply require a lower amount offorce to reseat the card stack against the separation rollers. As thecard stack supply decreases, the amount of force needed by the cardpusher to reseat the card stack supply increases. Preferably, the cardpusher is actively driven, for instance by a motor, in applying theforce against the card stack and reseating the supply of cards. Afterthe card stack is reseated, the separation rollers may turn inwardstoward the next card to realign the card stack for the next pick.Preferably, a controller, such as described above, is used to providethe necessary data information in controlling the input hopper settings.

The individual motor and solenoid control of the input module, forinstance, the picker motor, vacuum activation via valves, separatormotor and pusher motor contribute to the reliability of the presentinvention. The input module picks many different card types whichinclude combinations of different thickness and material, GSMpunch-outs, and embossed cards. The individual motor control and systemmethods of transferring card types to be picked reliably throughsoftware changes on a card by card basis, where previous input deviceshave required mechanical adjustments.

The input hopper of the present invention provides an improved inputmodule with increased reliability and efficiency. In addition to otheradvantages, the input hopper of the present invention enables a card tobe efficiently picked from the card stack supply for transfer downstreamto a processing module. The separation roller configuration and activeapplied active vacuum present a reliable structure for picking a card.Further, the actively driven card pusher provides an improved design forresetting the card supply for the next card pick that also is morereliable. The release mechanism and lock features incorporated for thecard tray provide convenience and added security when the input hopperis in use with the card personalization system.

Magnetic Stripe Module

The magnetic stripe module 100 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 16-20.In the preferred arrangement, as shown in FIG. 1, the magnetic stripemodule 100 is positioned immediately downstream from the input hopper200. However, the module 100 could be positioned anywhere in the system,and not just immediately after the input hopper 200. In the preferredarrangement, the magnetic stripe module 100 receives cards from theinput hopper 200, and programs data onto the magnetic stripe of eachcard if instructed to do so by the controller 22. The module 100 is alsodesigned to read the magnetic stripe after programming to determinewhether adequate programming has occurred. If a card does not have amagnetic stripe or magnetic stripe programming on a card is notrequired, the card can simply be passed through the module 100 to thenext module. Preferably, the module 100 is capable of programming of upto 3000 cards per hour.

FIGS. 16-20 illustrate details of the interior of the module 100. Eachcard enters the module via an inlet drive assembly comprising a pair ofdrive rollers 102 a, 102 b. Each drive roller 102 a, 102 b is rotatablydriven by a motor 104, such as a stepper motor, via gears 106 a, 106 bwhich are connected by drive shafts to the rollers 102 a, 102 b. One ofthe drive rollers 102 a, 102 b, such as the drive roller 102 a, isspring biased toward the other drive roller to maintain good drivingcontact with the card and to accommodate embossing that may be presenton the card.

A lower input guide 108, best seen in FIGS. 16 and 20, helps guide cardsinto the module 100 as they enter. Upper and lower guide tracks 110 a,110 b extend from the inlet of the module 100 to the outlet for guidingcards through the module 100 along a defined card path. The guide tracks110 a, 110 b receive upper and lower edge regions of each card tomaintain a consistent travel path through the module 100, with the planeof the cards being oriented generally vertically.

After passing through the rollers 102 a, 102 b, the card is next engagedby a drive assembly 112 which drives the card through the remainder ofthe module 100. The drive assembly 112, portions of which are visible inFIGS. 16, 17 and 20 but is best seen in FIG. 18, preferably comprises atab belt drive mechanism that includes a drive belt 114 and a pluralityof tabs 116 fixed to the belt.

Previous drive mechanisms have utilized a carriage or drive rollers formoving a card. A carriage mechanism is relatively complex and requires alarge number of parts, requires a relatively complex connection betweenthe drive motor and the carriage, has sliding parts that are subject towear, and has a relatively high inertia that reduces the transportspeed. Further, a carriage must be returned to the entrance after movinga card to the exit in order to pick up the next card. Drive rollers, onthe other hand, cannot be used on areas of the card that containembossing. Further, a drive roller mechanism has a relatively largenumber of components particularly in connecting the drive motor to therollers, introduces torsional compliance, creates problems whentransferring the card from one set of drive rollers to another set,requires certain frictional characteristics to engage the card properly,the drive rollers are subject to contamination and must be regularlycleaned, and the drive roller shafts limit placement of the write andread heads.

The use of a tab belt drive mechanism eliminates many of thedeficiencies that result from using carriage or drive roller mechanisms.The tab belt is simple with fewer parts, provides a more directconnection between the drive motor and the belt, has no sliding partsthat are subject to wear, has a relatively low inertia therebyincreasing speed, can be used with embossed cards, there is lesscompliance than drive rollers, there are no “hand-off” problems such asfound when using drive rollers, does not depend upon friction betweenthe belt and the card, and limitations on the placement of the write andread heads are reduced.

Moreover, it has been discovered that better programming is achievedusing a tab belt compared to using drive rollers. This is due to thefact that drive rollers have greater torsional compliance than a tabbelt and contain additional components that lead to greater card speedvariations and lower quality programming.

In the preferred embodiment, three tabs 116, only two of which arevisible in FIG. 18, are provided on the belt 114, with the tabs beingequally spaced on the belt 114. The use of multiple tabs increases thespeed of the drive assembly 112, thereby increasing the speed of themodule 100, by reducing the card pick-up time of the tabs, as willbecome apparent from the following description. Further, multiple tabsimproves the reliability since the belt will still operate with two oreven. one tab. However, it is possible to utilize a lesser number oftabs, such as a single tab, if the reduced speed provided thereby issufficient.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the belt 114 is engaged with a drive pulley118 which drives the belt 114. The drive pulley 118 is rotatably drivenby a motor 120, preferably a DC servo motor. In addition, the belt 114passes around idler pulleys 122, 124 positioned adjacent the inlet andoutlet of the module 100 (see FIGS. 16-18). The idler pulley 122 ispositioned above the drive roller 102 b, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 20,such that, upon rotation of the belt 114, the tab 116 can engage therear edge of the card after the card is driven into the module by thedrive rollers 102 a, 102 b. Further rotation of the belt 114 drives thecard through the module 100 to the module exit for pick-up by the nextmodule.

The belt 114 is subject to wear and must be replaced as needed. Inaddition, the tabs 116 can break off from the belt 114 and/or becomedamaged, thereby necessitating belt replacement. Therefore, the belt 114is mounted so as to be readily replaceable as required. As seen fromFIG. 18, when belt replacement is necessary, the belt can be liftedupward out of engagement with the pulleys and replaced with a new belt.To determine whether a tab 116 has broken off, during operation the belt114 passes through a tab sensor 126 which senses the tabs 116, orabsence thereof, and passes a signal to the controller 22 when a tab ismissing, so that the system operator can be notified that the beltshould be replaced.

To prevent the sensor 126 from interfering with belt removal, the sensor126 and the mounting block 128 upon which the sensor 126 is mounted, aremounted so as to movable between an operative position, shown in FIG.18, and a removal position (not shown). The block 128 includes a slot130 formed therein, and a cap screw 132 extends through the slot 130 andinto threaded engagement with a suitable threaded hole (not shown)provided in a support plate 134 of the module (FIG. 17). The block 128is pivotable about a pivot shaft 129, with pivoting of the block 128 andthe sensor 126 mounted thereon limited by the ends of the slot 130. Abias spring 136 is connected at one end to a plate 138 that is fixed tothe block 128 and connected at its opposite end to a post 140 that isfixed to the plate 134. During use, the block 128 is pivoted to theposition shown in FIG. 18 by the bias spring 136 and the cap screw 132tightened to maintain proper belt tension. When belt removal isnecessary, the cap screw 132 is loosened allowing the block 128 topivot. The block 128 is then positioned away from the post 140 to allowthe belt 114 to be removed without interference from the sensor 126 orthe plate 138.

As further shown in FIG. 18, a back-up bar 142 is positioned behind aportion of the belt 114. The tabs 116 on the belt 114 means that theseareas of the belt will be stiffer depending upon the size of the tabused. These stiffer portions will produce a drive speed variation asthey curve around any of the pulleys. The bigger the tab is and/or thesmaller the pulleys are, the greater the speed variation will be. It isbest, therefore, to use big pulleys and small tabs. However, as the tabbecomes small, it will be weaker and may not be stiff enough to providesolid drive to the rear edge of the card particularly in cases wherecard movement may be obstructed. As a result, the small tab may bend andgo behind the card, resulting in a card jam. Therefore, the backsides ofthe tabs are constructed to make the tabs stiffer when driving the cardforward through the module 100. Preferably, the backsides of the tabsare provided with a fillet to increase the stiffness thereof. Thefrontsides of the tabs 116 are generally planar and project from thebelt 114 generally at right angles thereto to provide optimum forwarddriving engagement with the rear edge of the card.

However, as will be described further below, it is often necessary toreverse the belt to drive the card in reverse within the module 100.During card reversal, the filleted backside of the tab will contact theleading edge of the card. It is possible that the fillet on the backsideof the tab 116 may cause the tab to slip behind the card. The back-upbar 142 prevents this by limiting the rearward movement of the tab 116and belt 114 during reversal, and maintaining contact between thebackside of the tab and the leading edge of the card.

The module 100 further includes separate write and read units 144, 146.The write unit 144 is disposed upstream of the read unit 146, with thewrite unit 144 programming predetermined data on the magnetic stripe onthe card, and the read unit 146 thereafter reading the data on themagnetic stripe to determine the adequacy of the programming operation.The data to be programmed onto the magnetic stripe of the card by thewrite unit 144 is provided to the module 100 by the controller 22, thedata being specific to the intended use of the card. The read unit 146reads the data on the magnetic stripe to determine any deficiencies inwriting operation of the write unit 144.

Many conventional systems utilize a single write/read unit for bothwriting and reading. In these systems, the card is initially driventhrough the unit in a write pass. Thereafter, the card must be reversedand driven back through the unit for a read pass. The requirement forforward and backward movement increases the programming operation time,thereby detracting from the overall throughput rate of such a system. Inaddition, the forward and backward movements increase wear on the moduleand on the cards themselves. Further, the single head utilized cannot beoptimized for both writing and reading functions so optimal writing andreading may not be achieved.

The separate write 144 and read 146 units eliminates the requirement toreverse the card travel direction for a read operation, which results inan increase in the throughput rate of the module 100 and a decrease inwear. Moreover, the write head and read head used in the units 144, 146can be selected to optimize the writing and reading operations. As shownin FIG. 20, the write and read units 144, 146 each include a pressingdevice 148, such as a roller, positioned opposite the write and readheads (not shown) for supporting the side of the card opposite themagnetic stripe. The magnetic stripe of the card faces the write andread heads and passes between the head and the pressing device 148. Theconstruction and operation of write and read units is well known tothose of ordinary skill in the art, and further description thereof isnot provided. An apparatus that utilizes separate write and read unitsis disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,438.

The write and read units 144, 146 and the upper guide track 110 a aresupported on a plate 150. During use, the plate 150 is supported in ahorizontal position as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 and is fixed to a pairof supports 152 by cap screws 154. Extending from the back end of theplate 150 is a pair of pins 156. The pins 156 allow the plate 150 to bedisposed in a service position, which is shown in FIG. 20, to facilitateaccess to the write and read heads of the units 144, 146. The supports152 include holes 158, shown in FIG. 18, that are positioned to receivethe pins 156. By loosening the screws 154, the plate 150 can be rotatedvertically to the position shown in FIG. 20, with the pins 156 alignedwith and received within the holes 158, to thereby maintain the plate150 in the service position.

Once the write unit 144 is finished programming, the card is transportedby the belt 114 and tab 116 to the read unit 146. If the read unit 146determines that the programming of the magnetic stripe is satisfactory,the card is driven by the belt 114 toward the exit where the card waitsfor the next module to complete its personalization operation(s). If thenext module is ready to receive the programmed card, the belt 114completes driving the card from the module 100. The drive belt 114 isarranged such that the tab 116 drives the leading edge of the card intoengagement with input rollers in the next module. This eliminates theneed for exit rollers in the module 100.

If the read unit 146 determines that an error has occurred in themagnetic stripe programming, the belt 114 can be reversed to drive thecard back through the write unit 144 so that the magnetic stripe on thecard can again be passed through the red unit 146 or through the writeunit 144. If the magnetic stripe is reprogrammed, the card can onceagain be driven through the read unit 146 to determine the adequacy ofthe programming operation.

An eject mechanism 160 is also provided to allow the operator an easyway to remove a jammed card from the card track when the module 100 isnot able to move the card out to the next module. This could occurbecause of a fault in the module 100 or a fault in the downstreammodule. U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,853 discloses a card eject mechanism in amagnetic stripe encoding apparatus where the eject mechanism is underelectronic control to act as a collection place for defectivelyprogrammed cards.

The eject mechanism of the present invention is best seen in FIG. 19. Inthe preferred embodiment, the eject mechanism 160 is designed to bemanually actuated by the system operator, based upon a signal providedby the read unit 146 and the controller 22.

With reference to FIG. 19, the eject mechanism 160 comprises a pivotingdoor 162 that interrupts the lower guide track 110 a and supports thebottom edge of the card downstream from the read unit 146. The door 162is connected to the end of a pivot block 164 that is pivotally supportedby supports 166, 168 for pivoting movement about pivot axis 170. Aspacer 172 is connected to the bottom of the pivot block 164 and engageswith the plate 134 to act as a stop to define the standard, ornon-eject, position of the door 162 and block 164 shown in FIG. 19. Aspring 174 is connected to the pivot block 164 for biasing the block 164to the non-eject position.

An actuating mechanism 176, best seen in FIG. 19, is disposed below theplate 134 and is arranged to contact the eject mechanism 160 forpivoting the door 162 to an eject position. The actuating mechanism 176projects upwardly through a hole 178 provided in the plate 134 andcontacts the pivot block 164 to cause pivoting of the block 164 and thedoor 162 about the axis 170 when the mechanism 176 is moved upwardly.Actuation of the actuating mechanism 176 preferably occurs by the systemoperator pressing a button associated with the controller 22, preferablya button on the keyboard 23.

Rather than using an actuating mechanism, the system operator may berequired to manually pivot the door 162 by reaching into the module 100.In this case, when a card is to be ejected, the system is preferablypaused while the system operator proceeds to the module 100 to manuallypivot the door 162 and eject the card.

When the door 162 is pivoted to the eject position, the card is able tofall downward through a channel 180 in the plate 134. The ejected cardfalls onto a chute 182 which leads to a holding bin 184. Preferably, asensor 186 is provided to detect if the door 162 is partially open (e.g.the card did not fall completely through the channel 180). Further, asensor 188 is provided in the holding bin 184 to detect the presence ofthe card in the bin 184. If the door 162 is partially open or if a cardis detected in the bin 184, operation of the system will not proceeduntil the card has been removed.

Laser Module

The laser module 700 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 21-26. The module700 is designed to perform laser personalization on the cards in whichinformation, such as card holder information like the card holder'sname, or information such as logos or the name of the card issuingauthority, is added to the card by a laser beam projected onto the card.Laser personalization and the process by which a laser generatespersonalization information on a card is well known to persons ofordinary skill in the art. If a card does not require laserpersonalization, the card can simply be passed through the module 700 tothe next module. Preferably, the laser module 700 is designed topersonalize up to 3000 cards per hour.

Turning to FIGS. 21-22, the details of the laser module 700 are shown.As is conventional in laser personalization systems, the interior of themodule that contains the laser system and the region of the module wherethe card is personalized is designed to contain all laser light therebypreventing personnel from exposure to such light. A card enters themodule 700 through an inlet slot 702 provided in a wall 704 of thelight-tight region of the module 700. A first pair of input driverollers 706 a, 706 b engage the leading edge of the card and drive thecard to a second pair of input drive rollers 708 a, 708 b which completethe input of the card into the module 700.

As seen in FIG. 22 and in dashed lines in FIG. 21, the drive rollers 706a, 706 b extend substantially the entire height of the wall 704 so thatthe rollers 706 a, 706 b engage substantially the entire surface of thecard along the height thereof. In addition, each roller 706 a, 706 b isrotatably driven by a motor 708, preferably a stepper motor, via a drivemechanism that includes a drive belt 710 and gears 712 a, 712 b.Further, the front roller 706 a is biased toward the back roller 706 bin order to contain laser light within the interior of the module 700.

Each roller 708 a, 708 b is also rotatably driven by the motor 708 via asuitable drive train mechanism. The rollers 708 a, 708 b are shorterthan the rollers 706 a, 706 b to allow a card pusher mechanism 714,described below, to engage the trailing edge of the card to completelypush the card into and out of the personalization region.

A first pair of output drive rollers 716 a, 716 b engage the leadingedge of the card after personalization, and drive the card through aslot 717 into a second pair of output drive rollers 718 a, 718 b whichdrive the card into the next module. The rollers 716 a, 716 b, like therollers 706 a, 706 b, engage substantially the entire surface of thecard along the height thereof, and the front roller 716 a is biasedtoward the rear roller 716 b in order to contain laser light within theinterior of the module 700. Each output roller 716 a, 716 b, 718 a, 718b is also driven by a motor 720, preferably a stepper motor 708, viasuitable drive trains.

Between the rollers 706 a, 706 b and output of the module 700, the cardis guided at its top and bottom edges by top and bottom guide tracks722, 724, respectively. The guide tracks 722, 724 maintain a consistenttravel path through the module 700, with the plane of the card beingoriented generally vertically.

FIGS. 21-22 illustrate the card in a personalization region 726 ready tobe personalized by a laser mechanism 728 that is positioned to project alaser beam 730 onto appropriate portions of the card surface. In orderto achieve effective personalization, precise and repeatable positioningof the cards in the region 726 is required. Misalignment of a card inthe region 726 will lead to incorrect location of the personalization onthe card.

The card is pushed into the personalization region by the card pushermechanism 714 which includes a push pin 732 that projects rearwardlyfrom one end of a drive arm 734. The other end of the arm 734 isconnected to and rotatably driven by a drive shaft 736 that is driven bya motor 738, preferably a stepper motor.

The card is guided in the personalization region 726 by a pivoting cardstop 740 at the top edge of the card and a track 742 at the bottom edgeof the card. The card stop 740 and track 742 are separate from the guidetracks 722, 724 and separate from the structure that supports therollers 708 a, 708 b, 716 a, 716 b. This allows the card stop 740 andtrack 742, and the card held thereby, to be tilted and/or rotated by asuitable mechanism (not shown). These movements are often necessary whenthe card surface to be personalized is not completely planar to ensurethat the laser beam 730 contacts the card surface at right angles to thecard surface being personalized.

The card stop 740 is constructed to repeatably and precisely positionthe card in the region 726. The stop 740, which is shown in FIGS. 21-23,is mounted on a pivot pin 744 for pivoting movement about the axis ofthe pin 744. In addition, the stop 740 is biased downward (i.e. in acounterclockwise direction about the pin 744) by a suitable biasmechanism (not shown) in order to force the card downward into the track742, thereby securely holding the card in position duringpersonalization.

As shown in FIG. 23, the stop 740 defines a channel 746 in which theupper edge of the card travels. The channel 746 includes a horizontalportion 748 at the beginning of the channel 746, a downwardly slopingportion 750, an upwardly sloping portion 752, and a downwardly slopingportion 754 adjacent the exit end of the channel 746. The shape of thechannel 746 is such that, after the card is initially pushed into apreliminary or rough position by the pusher mechanism 714 as discussedbelow, the bias force of the stop 740 will force the card backward to afinal, personalization position.

When the card first enters the personalization region 726, the arm 734of the pusher mechanism 714 is rotated upward to allow the rollers 708a, 708 b to drive the card partially into the region 726. As the rearedge of the card approaches the nip of the rollers 708 a, 708 b, theshaft 736 is rotated by the motor 738 to bring the pin 732 down intoengagement with the rear edge of the card. Once the rear edge leaves thenip, the pin 732 will begin pushing the card into the region 726 to apreliminary, rough position.

As the card is pushed by the pin 732, the upper edge of the carddisposed in the channel 746 of the stop 740, along with the slopedportions of the channel 746, forces the stop 740 upward (i.e. the stop740 pivots in a clockwise direction), against the bias force on the stop740. The card is pushed by the pin 732 until the upper, front edge ofthe card is engaged with the sloping portion 754 of the channel 746, atwhich point the pin 732 stops and then backs up away from the card. Thesloped portion 754, under the bias force that biases the stop 740downward, then moves the card backward to the card's final,personalization position. Therefore, the pusher mechanism 714 only needsto roughly position the card in the region 726, with the stop 740 thenfinally and precisely locating the card in a consistently repeatableposition in the region 726.

After personalization by the laser mechanism 728 is complete, the pin732 once again begins pushing the rear edge of the card. Continuedpushing by the pin 732 forces the leading edge of the card out of thestop 740 and the channel 746 and into the nip of the rollers 716 a, 716b. When this occurs, the rollers 716 a, 716 b take over driving the cardand drive the card to the rollers 718 a, 718 b for subsequent dischargefrom the module 700 to the next module. As with the other modules, thecard waits at the exit of the module 700 until the next module is donepersonalizing its current card and is ready to output that card.

Details of the laser mechanism 728 are shown in FIGS. 24-27. The lasermechanism 728 is constructed to permit easier set-up than in previouslaser mechanisms used in laser personalization systems. Further, thelaser mechanism 728 has fewer parts than previous laser mechanisms, andis designed to maintain laser adjustments, even when the laser mechanismis moved.

Preferably, the laser mechanism 728 utilizes a pair of lasers 760, 762,shown in detail in FIGS. 24-26, that are operated out of phase from eachother during the laser personalization process. The use of two lasers760, 762 operated out of phase permits an approximate doubling of thespeed of the laser personalization process compared to the use of asingle laser. Each laser 760, 762 requires its own power source 764, 766which, as shown in FIG. 27, are mounted behind the module 700.

As shown in FIGS. 24-26, each laser 760, 762 outputs a laser beam 730,with the beams traveling through a beam splitter cube 768, then beingexpanded in a beam expander 770, and thereafter being deflected by agalvo mechanism 772 through a focusing lens 774 and onto the card. Asafety stop shutter 776, shown in the closed position, is provided toselectively block passage of the beam 730 after the beam expander 770.The construction and operation of lasers, a beam splitter cube, a beamexpander, a galvo mechanism, a focusing lens, and a safety stop shutterare well known in the art, and are not further described herein.

The lasers 760, 762 are mounted to permit easy and accurate adjustmentsof the lasers. Each laser 760, 762 is adjustably mounted as describedbelow at both its front and rear ends for adjustments along at least twoaxes. In particular, the laser 760 is mounted for adjustments along the“x” and “z” axes, while the laser 762 is mounted for adjustments alongthe “x” and “y” axes. For the laser 762, the “y” direction is the sameas the “z” direction after reflection in the beam splitter cube 768.

With reference initially to FIGS. 28-29, the concept of the laseradjustments will be described. In previous laser systems, when one ormore of the lasers was moved, a painstaking process was required inorder to achieve proper positioning of the lasers so that the laserbeams pass through a common axis prior to entering the beam expander.This difficulty in adjustment is due to the fact that adjustment of eachlaser along two axes is necessary. For conventional lasers having asingle adjustment location, this means that after adjusting a laseralong a first axis, adjustment of the laser along the second axischanges the just made adjustment along the first axis. The laser thenneeds to be re-adjusted along the first axis, which changes the secondaxis adjustment which therefore needs to be re-adjusted. By repeatingthis process numerous times, a final adjustment can eventually bereached.

It has been discovered that by adjustably mounting each laser at boththe front and rear ends thereof, faster adjustment of the lasers 760,762 can be achieved. In particular, through suitable selection of thefront end adjustment positions of the lasers, by first adjusting thefront end of each laser until the laser beams pass through a common axisprior to passing through the beam expander 770, the rear ends of thelasers can subsequently be adjusted without affecting the front endadjustments so that the beams continue to pass through the same axis.

In FIG. 28, the common point through which the laser beams 730 are topass is designated by CP. To measure whether the beams 730 are hittingthe common point CP, a pin hole or quadrant sensor S can be located atthe common point CP during the adjustment process. The front endadjustment point “A” of the laser 760 is located at the common point CP,which is spaced a distance X from the mirror m of the beam splittingcube 768. The rear end of the laser 760 is separately adjustable. Byfirst adjusting the front end of the laser 760 until the beam 730 passesthrough the common point CP, as sensed by the sensor S, subsequentadjustments of the rear end of the laser 760 can be made withoutchanging passage of the beam 730 through the common point CP.

For the laser 762, the front end adjustment point “A” is located asshown in FIG. 28, with “A” located a distance X from the mirror m. Therear end of the laser 762 is separately adjustable. Because the distanceX of the adjustment point “A” for the laser 762 is equal to the distanceX of the adjustment point “A” for the laser 760, by first adjusting thefront end of the laser 762 until the beam 730, which is deflected by themirror m of the beam splitter 768, passes through the common point CP,as sensed by the sensor S, subsequent adjustments of the rear end of thelaser 762 can be made without changing passage of the beam 730 throughthe common point CP. This concept is illustrated in FIG. 29, which showsthree different beam paths, labeled 1-3, for the laser 762. In eachcase, because of the common adjustment point “A” of the front end of thelaser 762, regardless of subsequent adjustments of the rear end of thelaser 762, the laser beams 730 continue to pass through the common pointCP.

With reference now to FIGS. 24-26, the mounting of the lasers 760, 762will be described. In describing the mounting and adjustments of thelaser 760, 762, the front end adjustment positions of each laser 760,762 will be designated by the letter “A” in FIGS. 24-26, while the rearend adjustment positions will be designated by the letter “B”. Further,the laser 760 will be designated by the numeral “1”, and the laser 762will be designated by the numeral “2”, and the adjustment directionswill be designated by “x”, “y” or “z”. Further, the laser mechanism 728includes a first support plate 778 (shown in dashed lines in FIG. 24),and a second support plate 780. The laser 760 is connected to andsupported by a first mount plate 782, a second mount plate 784, and athird mount plate 786. Further, the laser 762 is connected to andsupported by a first mount plate 788, a second mount plate 790, and athird mount plate 792.

For the laser 760, the front end of the laser 760 includes locator pinsA1X and A1Z defining the front end adjustment locations, as shown inFIGS. 24-26. The rear end of the laser includes locator pins B1X and B1Zdefining the rear end adjustment locations. The locator pins A1X and B1Xare fixed to the second mount plate 784 and extend through slotsprovided in the first mount plate 782, so that the plate 784 can moverelative to the plate 782 to allow adjustment of the laser 760 in the“x” direction. As evident from FIG. 25, the plate 784 is connected tothe plate 786, so that the plate 786 moves in the “x” direction with theplate 784. The locator pins A1Z and B1Z are fixed to the plate 786 andextend into slots in the support plate 780 to allow adjustment of thelaser in the “z” direction.

For the laser 762, the front end includes locator pins A2X and A2Ydefining the front end adjustment locations, as shown in FIGS. 24-26.The rear end of the laser includes locator pins B2X and B1Y defining therear end adjustment locations. The locator pins A2X and B2X are fixed tothe mount plate 792 and extend into slots provided in the plate 778, sothat the plate 792 can move relative to the plate 778 to allowadjustment of the laser 762 in the “x” direction. The locator pins A2Yand B2Y are fixed to the plate 790 and extend through slots in the plate788 so that the plate 790 can move relative to the plate 788 to allowadjustment of the laser 762 in the “y” direction.

Adjustments of the lasers 760, 762 about the respective locator pins canbe accomplished using adjustment mechanisms similar to those used inprevious laser systems. A person having ordinary skill in the art wouldknow how to implement the conventional adjustment mechanisms with thelasers 760, 762.

Graphics Module

Monochrome images often are applied to personalized cards. Graphics,such as a photo, logo, account number or other personalized informationthat would not be applied using the normal three color process, may beapplied using these particular graphics modules. Previous designs haveemployed a card path for entry and processing of cards into the module.Typically, separate roller assemblies are employed for entering a cardand for transferring the card along the card path for processing. In thepast, separate motors, such as stepper motors, were employed to controleach of the roller assemblies. Further, the position of the card isreferenced from the trailing edge of the card for processing. Further, aprint ribbon supply from a supply roll is fed adjacent to a printheadused for printing on the card, to a take up roll.

Although these designs may be suitable for their purpose, improvementsmay still be made upon graphics modules used in card personalizationsystems. For example, there is still a need to solve card handoffproblems between rollers and improve overall consistency in the handoffof cards between rollers. In addition, there is a need to provideimprovements to graphics modules in determining the position andlocation of a card within the module. Further, there is need to providea graphics module where print ribbon is easily metered and efficientlyused. The following description illustrates the features andimprovements made upon existing designs of a graphics module inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGS. 30-33 illustrate a graphics module 600. If a card does not requireany processing of graphics using the graphics module 600, the card maybe simply passed through the module 600 to the next module. Preferably,the module 600 is capable of applying graphics on a card up to 3000cards per hour.

FIGS. 30-31 illustrate perspective views of one preferred embodiment fora graphics module 600 used in the card personalization system of thepresent invention. The graphics module 600 includes a frame 610 havingends 611 a, 61 b, a top 613 a, and a bottom 613 b. The frame alsoincludes an upstream side 615 a and a downstream side 615 b. A card path630 is disposed between the ends 611 a, 611 b. At the upstream side 615a, the card path 630 includes a photo cell 620 incorporating a sensor(not shown) that senses an entry of a card input into the graphicsmodule 600. FIG. 31 illustrates the graphics module 600 having a printribbon 690 incorporated through the module 600.

Entry rollers 645 a, as best shown in FIG. 32 are employed for entry ofthe card into the graphics module 600 for processing of the card. Thecard is transferred or passed to mid-module transport rollers 645 b(FIG. 32) that move the card along the card path 630 during a printingstage. Preferably, the entry rollers 645 a operate at a higher speedwhen passing a card than the transport rollers 645 b. Particularly, thecard is moved by the entry rollers 645 a at a higher speed than when thecard is moved by the processing rollers 645 b, when the speed of thecard is dropped down for printing. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 32, apair of rollers is employed for the entry rollers 645 a, and anotherpair of rollers 645 b, are employed for the transport rollers. However,it will be appreciated that more rollers may be employed as suitable forthe transport of a card along the card path. Roller drives 643 driveboth rollers of the roller pairs 645. As shown in FIGS. 30 and 32,roller drives 643 are shown that drive the entry rollers 645 a, thetransport rollers 645 b, and the exit rollers 645 c.

A motor 641 is operatively connected to the roller drives, such as 643,in rotating the rollers. Preferably, one motor 641 is employed tocontrol the rotation and speed of the entry rollers 645 a, the transportrollers 645 b, the exit rollers 645 c and the print roller 646. Morepreferably, the motor 641 is a DC servo motor rather than a steppermotor that is more suitable for rapid speed changes especially when thechanges are over a large range of speeds. The use of one motoreliminates the need for multiple stepper motors and presents improvedhandoff and transfer of the cards between the rollers within the module600. The motor 641 operates at high speed for entry and transport of acard then reduces the speed so that the module 600 may begin printingthe necessary personalization information. Preferably, a card passingthrough the module 600 is always in the grip of at least one set ofrollers. For instance, a card that is in the grip of the entry rollers645 a would enter the transport rollers 645 b, before the card would bereleased from the entry rollers. This eliminates the potential for ahandoff problems in card transfer between different roller setsemploying separate motors and controls, With the positive control of thecard through roller hand offs the position of the card within the module600 can be reliably predicted.

A printhead 650 disposed between the transport rollers 645 b and theexit rollers 645 c and along the card path 650. Preferably, theprinthead 650 is movable to and from the card path 650, along the track651, as best shown in FIG. 33, in a direction perpendicular to path 630.More, preferably, the printhead 650 may reside in one of three positionsincluding a ready position, a printing position and a ribbon loadingposition. The ready position constitutes a position where the printhead650 has been wrapped with the proper ribbon 690 for applying thepersonalized graphics information, and may reside a short distance (cardthickness plus clearance) from the print roller 646. The printingposition of the printhead 650 is when the card is moving at the reducedspeed along the card path 630 and is in proper position for graphicsprinting proximate to the card path 630. The printhead 650 would resideat the card path pressing the ribbon and card against the print roller646 so printing may occur. FIGS. 30 and 33 illustrate the graphicsmodule 600 in the print position. The ribbon loading position or loadposition occurs when the printhead 650 resides above the end of thetrack 651, farthest from the print roller 646. The loading positionenables for loading/unloading of ribbon product from the supply and takeup spools.

In the print position, the printhead 650, having the print ribbonproduct wrapped adjacent to the printhead 650, presses against the cardbeing processed. Preferably, the printhead 650 is a thermal printhead.Pressure is applied against the ribbon and card for a suitable amount oftime so that the print ribbon product may be transferred and adhere ontothe card. After the necessary personalization graphic(s) have been inputonto the card, the printhead 650 and ribbon 690 are removed away fromthe card, and the card may be put in position for release from thegraphics module 600.

When in the loading position, the printhead 650 and carriage 651 aremoved away from the card path 630 far enough to contact and push arelease bar 653. The release bar 653 is operatively connected with acapstan 657, and may push the capstan 657 when being moved by thecarriage 651 into its loading position. In this configuration, thecapstan 657 is moved away from supply roll 660 and take up roll 670, sothat each of the rolls 660, 670 may be removed of used ribbon product orloaded with additional ribbon product. Preferably, the capstan 657normally is biased against the take up roll 670, when the printhead 650is in a position other than the loading position, such as in the readyor printing positions. FIG. 30 illustrates the capstan biased againstthe take up roll 670.

When the capstan 657 is in its normally biased position against the takeup roll 670, the amount of ribbon needed for printing a particulargraphic image can easily and accurately be measured. Preferably, thecapstan 657 resides about the outer diameter of the take up roll 670.Particularly, by positioning the capstan 657 about the outer diameter ofthe roll 670, the amount of rotation required by the capstan 657 tometer a specific amount of ribbon product used for printing on the card,is consistent regardless of the diameter of the take up roll 670. Inaddition, the take up roll 670 rotates accordingly to take up the usedprint ribbon product, and maintains compact and controlled tack up roll670 during regular print and take up conditions.

The graphics module 600 also includes an accumulator 655 or tensioningmember that maintains tension in the print web. The accumulator 655 ispivotable about a pivot region 655 a and contacts the print web beforebeing fed to the printhead 650 and take up roll 670. The accumulator 655is biased against the print web so that the print web maintains asuitable tension in the print web. Further, the accumulator 655 enablesthe take up roll 670 to reverse its rotation and feed print ribbonbackwards past the printhead 650 while still maintaining tension in theprint web. For example, in the event of a print error, the take up rollmay reverse its rotation, and the accumulator 655 automatically pivotsagainst the print web, accordingly without the need for the supply rollto reverse its rotation. Tension in the web is maintained and unusedprint web may be saved. The accumulator 655 provides additional ribbonsaving capability to the graphics module 600. Particularly, theaccumulator 655 provides a ribbon saving feature when the take up rollreverses its rotation to recover previously unused print web.

As above with the input hopper, a controller, such as 22 describedabove, is used to provide the necessary data information in controllingthe graphics module settings. Preferably, a controller 680 is disposedon the frame 610 of the module 600, and is in communication with themain controller in controlling the module 600. A electromechanical break661, as shown in FIG. 33 controls the resistance torque applied to thesupply roll 660. Preferably an electromechanical break is used toprovide a necessary torque to resist the free rotation of the supplyroll 660 maintaining tension in the web. More preferably, a largerdiameter of the supply roll 660 requires more torque in order tomaintain a constant tension in the web. On the other hand, a smallerdiameter requires less torque to achieve the same tension. Therefore, asthe print web supply on the supply roll 660 diminishes, the necessarytorque required on the supply roll 660 also decreases. Moreover, tensionin the web is further maintained in the event of power failure, as thebreak 661 controlling the supply roll 660 torque is not connected to theinterlock of the card personalization system. Thus, if a power failureoccurs, tension in the print web may be maintained.

In addition to other advantages, the graphics module of the presentinvention provides improved card transfer between rollers and increasedribbon saving features. One motor is used to drive all the entry,transfer and exit rollers along with the print roller. A card processedin the graphics module is always in the grip of at least one set ofrollers. Such configuration also allows for improved monitoring of theposition and location of a card. The graphics module of the presentinvention can be more conveniently and accurately metered. Further, thetension of the print web can be maintained during many instances ofoperation.

Output Hopper

An output hopper is needed to collect processed and personalized cards.Typically, an output hopper includes trays for collecting cards thathave passed through the processing modules of a card personalizationsystem, and are ready for exit. Cards are exited off of a card path,using a card feeder, and collected into output trays. A card feederpushes a processed card off the card path and into a card collectiontray. Typically, a plurality of collection trays is employed, where atleast one collection tray is used as a reject tray.

Although these designs may be suitable for their purpose, improvementsmay still be made to an output hopper. There is still a need for anoutput hopper that provides increased reliability in exiting a card offof the card path for collection. Further, there is a need to provideimproved efficiency in recognizing that a card is ready for exiting offof the card path. The following description illustrates the features andimprovements made upon existing designs of an output hopper inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the output hopper 50 of the system 10is positioned adjacent to and immediately downstream from the lastmodule 40 for collecting cards. It will be appreciated that one or moresimilar output hoppers may also be located within the system at otherlocations, including between two or more of the modules 40. In such aconfiguration, cards can be collected at various points along the cardpath of the system, allowing the cards to bypass one or more of themodules 40. Thus, multiple output hoppers can exist within the cardpersonalization system 10, including between modules 40.

FIGS. 34-41 illustrate the output hopper 50 according to the presentinvention. Preferably, the hopper 50 is capable of collecting andstacking cards at a rate of up to 3000 cards per hour.

FIG. 34 illustrates a top view of the output hopper 50. The outputhopper includes a frame 310 having a front 313 a, a back 313 b, and anupstream side 311 a, and a downstream side 311 b. A card collection tray320 is releasably connected to the frame 310, and is disposed from thefront 313 a towards the back 313 b of the frame 310. Preferably, aplurality of card collection trays 320 is employed, where at least onecollection tray 320 a is used as a reject tray. As shown in FIG. 34,three collection trays are illustrated; two collection trays 320 forcorrectly personalized cards, and one reject tray 320 a for incorrectlyprocessed cards. However, it will be appreciated that any suitablenumber of trays may be employed as needed for each card personalizationsystem.

Each collection tray 320, 320 a includes at least one handle 321, 321 a.As shown in FIG. 34, the handle 321 is disposed at a front 329 a of eachcollection tray, and the handle 321 a is disposed at the back 329 b ofeach collection tray. However, it will be appreciated that any suitablenumber or configuration of handles may be employed. Each tray alsoincludes a card retainer 323 which supports the cards in the card trayto keep the cards in an organized stack. The card retainer 323, held inthe card tray 320 320 a by a track, can slide along the length of thecard tray.

A magnetic stripe reader unit 370 may be employed along the card path351 downstream of the reject collection tray 320 a and upstream of thecollection trays 320. The magnetic stripe reader unit 370 is used toverify that the card in the output hopper module is the correct card tobe transferred into a card collection tray. Each card is transferredthrough the reader unit 370 and moved in position in front of theappropriate card tray. The card is then exited into the card tray if theread/verify test is successful. Any processed card that fails theread/verify test is moved backwards on the card path 352 and exited intothe reject collection tray 320 a. The reader can read any track of dataon the magnetic stripe of a card. The details and features of a magneticstripe reader 370 in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention are provided in the discussion below.

FIGS. 34, 36 to 41 illustrate one preferred embodiment of a card path352 defined by tracks 351, 357 capable of guiding cards through themodule, guiding cards out of the card path 352 for transfer into a cardcollection tray, and providing upward bias force on cards for readingmagnetic stripes with the magnetic stripe reader 370. The lower cardtrack 351 is spring loaded in order to bias cards upward against theupper fixed card track 357. The lower track 351 also is split at themidpoint of the magnetic stripe reader 370. The card path 352 defined bythe tracks 351,357 extends between the upstream side 311 a anddownstream side 311 b.

Entry rollers 353 are disposed at the upstream side 311 a, and employedfor entering processed cards into the output hopper 50 along the cardpath 351. A tab belt 355 moves processed cards along the card path 351to the respective card collection trays for exiting. The tab belt 355includes tabs 355 a that contact side edges of processed cards to drivethe card along the card path 351.

FIGS. 36 to 38 illustrate one preferred embodiment of a card feeder 340used to exit a card off of the card path 351 and into a card collectiontray 320, 320 a. As a processed card 390 is transferred along the cardpath 351, the appropriate card feeder 340 is activated and moves itspusher arm forward so that the card stop blocks the card path 351. Thisensures the card 390 is positioned in front of the appropriate cardcollection tray with the leading edge of the card aligned with the backend 329 b of the respective card collection tray 320. Each card feeder340 includes a head portion 341 that is substantially elongated.Preferably, the card feeder 340 is at least the same length of a card390. The head portion 341 contacts the card 390 and pushes the card 390off the card path 351 towards and into the collection tray 320 (FIGS. 37and 38). The collection tray 320 includes at least one retention member322 defined on each side 327 a, 327 b of the collection tray 320. Theretention members 322 securely maintain exited cards, such as 390, fedinto the collection tray 320. Preferably, there is a separate cardfeeder 340 for each collection tray 320.

One preferred approach to feed cards into respective collection trays isto employ a ramped or slanted surface 343 on the head portion 341 ofeach card feeder 340. The slanted surface 343 contacts the card 390, asshown in FIG. 37, and pushes the card 390 off of the card path 351. Asshown in FIG. 38, the card 390 is slanted due to the contact with theramped surface 343 of the head portion 341, and the card 390 passesretention members 322 residing on one side 327 b of the collection tray320. As the card feeder 340 pushes the card 390 into the trough 325 ofthe collection tray 320, the card 390 passes retention members 322 ofthe other side 327 a of the collection tray 320. The arrow A representsthe direction of card travel and movement of the card feeder 340. FIGS.36 to 38 illustrate a card feeder 340 for a collection tray 320.However, it will be appreciated that similar structures may be employedfor other collection trays, such as reject tray 320 a. FIGS. 39 to 41represent top views of the card 390 being pushed off the card path 351,and fed into the collection tray. Similar features are illustrated inFIGS. 39 to 41 already discussed above, and are not further described.

FIGS. 69-71 illustrate an alternate embodiment of a card feeder 340′ forpushing cards into the collection trays 320, 320 a. In this embodiment,the head portion 341′ of the card feeder 340′ has a planar surface 343′rather than a ramped surface 343. The head portion 341′ is mounted to betilted at an angle while pushing a card into a tray. The head portion341′ is connected to the end of link arms 380, 381 via pivots 382, 383,respectively. The opposite ends of the link arms 380, 381 are connectedto a drive wheel 384 that is rotatable in a counterclockwise directionas viewed from above in FIG. 69.

At the home position of the card feeder 340′ illustrated in FIG. 69, thehead portion 341′ and surface 343′ are parallel to the card path. Asillustrated in FIG. 70, rotation of the drive wheel 384 causes the headportion 341′ to be pushed toward the tray. At the same time, the headportion 341′ is titled by the link arms 380, 381 so that the surface343′ is disposed at an angle for pushing the card into the tray.Continued rotation of the drive wheel 384 drives the head portion 341′further toward the tray 320 while the link arms 380, 381 tilt thesurface 343′ in the opposite direction to complete the insertion of thecard into the tray, as shown in FIG. 71. Once the card is inserted, thedrive wheel 384 continues rotating back to the home position ready foranother card insertion cycle.

FIGS. 35 a-35 d illustrate one preferred embodiment of a card in sensorbracket 350. The card in sensor bracket 350 includes a substantiallyplanar body 361 having a first end 361 a, a second end 361 b, and sides361 c, 361 d. The first end 361 includes side flanges 363, and thesecond end 361 b includes an angled flank 365. Each collection trayincludes a sensor bracket, such as sensor bracket 350 as shown in FIG.34. Each sensor bracket is connected to the frame 310, for examplethrough a common mounting plate 357, and resides above the card path351, so that processed cards may pass along the card path 351 under eachsensor bracket 350. The sensor bracket includes a space 369 so that asuitable sensor (not shown) may be incorporated therein to sense aprocessed card waiting to be fed into a collection tray. A projection367 extends substantially perpendicular from the planar body 361. FIGS.35 b-35 d illustrate top, front, and side views of the sensor bracket,respectively.

It will be appreciated the output hopper of the present invention mayalso be configured to receive and exit cards in the card path of thesystem between other processing modules. This would allow for multipleoutput modules to exist within a card personalization system, where adisposed output module may operate between other processing modules.

In addition to other advantages, the output hopper of the presentinvention is cost effective and maximizes the number of card collectiontrays within the module space. The process of exiting cards utilizingthe card feeder, card track and card collection trays of the presentinvention provides a fast, reliable method of exiting cards in a minimalamount of space. Card exiting features such as the ramped surface on thehead portion of the card feeder, tongues on the lower track guides andthe card tray retention members provide more reliability in feedingcards into collection trays. Further, the card in sensor bracket allowsfor an improved structure for sensors to sense a card as it is fed intoa collection tray.

Magnetic Stripe Readhead Unit

FIGS. 42-45 illustrate a magnetic stripe readhead unit 500. Magneticstripe readhead units read personalized information off of magneticstripe portions residing on personalized cards. Typically, such magneticstripe readhead units are mounted on frames and are disposed along thecard path. The readhead units contact passing cards reading theinformation stored on the magnetic stripe. Typically, readhead units areused in card personalization systems for verifying that the correctpersonalized information is stored on the magnetic stripe of a card. Ifa card does not have a magnetic stripe or reading a magnetic stripe isnot required, the card may be simply passed through the unit 500.

Although these designs may be suitable for their purpose, improvementsmay still be made upon a magnetic stripe readhead unit. There is still aneed for a magnetic stripe readhead unit that provides sufficientclearance for cards, while maintaining suitable contact against themagnetic stripe of the card. In addition, a readhead unit mountingstructure is needed that prevents unnecessary and undesirable movementof the readhead, while providing increased convenience in assembly andcost effective parts. The following description illustrates the featuresand improvements made upon existing designs of a magnetic stripereadhead unit in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 42 illustrates one preferred embodiment of a magnetic stripereadhead module 500, referred hereafter as reader unit. The reader unit500 includes a frame 510 having a top 521 a, a bottom 521 b, sides 517a, 517 b, and a front 523 a and a back 523 b. The side 517 b defines awinged portion having a mounting projection 511 extending substantiallyperpendicular from the side 517 b outward from the front end 523 aof theframe 510. It will be appreciated that side 517 a includes an identicalstructure and arrangement as the side 517 b, in providing a symmetricalframe 510. The mounting projection 511 includes mounting holes 511 a,which can enable fasteners such as screws to mount the frame 510 toanother structure. For example, FIG. 34 illustrates a magnetic stripereader unit mounted to the frame of the output hopper 50. Preferably,the reader unit 500 is mounted between a reject tray and the collectiontrays for correctly processed cards, such as shown in FIG. 34(collection trays 320, 320 a).

Both the front end 523 aand the back end 523 b include a readhead holder530 mounted thereon. Locating pins 543 illustrated on the back end 523 bprovide alignment for the holder 530 to the frame 510, and enable thereadhead to be accurately positioned without the need for addedadjustments. As shown in FIG. 42, locating pins 543 are illustrated onthe back 523 b. However, it will be appreciated that the front end 523 aincludes the identical locating pin structure as the back end 523 b. Ashoulder screw 560 employs a compression spring (not shown) so a uniformforce is applied by both readheads 550 (shown in 43) residing on thereadhead holders 530.

Preferably, both readhead holders 530 include a top 531 a and a bottom531 b. A fastener 561, such as a screw, resides toward the top 531 a,and mounts the readhead holders 530 onto the frame 510. The bottom 531 bof the readhead holder 530 includes a readhead support 533 having atleast one card guide 541 disposed on sides of the readhead support 533.Further, a spring 535 disposed about the side of the readhead holder 530biases the readhead 550 in the card travel direction indicated by arrowA. FIGS. 42 and 43 illustrate a spring 535, support 533 and card guides541 on one side of the readhead holder 530. However, it will beappreciated that both readhead holders 530 include identical spring 535,readhead support 533 and card guide 541 structures. As best shown inFIG. 43, a readhead 550 is removably connected to the readhead holder530 through pivot pins 565. The pivot pins 565 connect to the sides ofthe readhead holder 530 and are biased in the card direction by thesprings 535.

Further, as best shown in FIG. 43, a cam mechanism 572 is fixed to ashaft 574, which is pivotally mounted within the frame 510. The shaft574 can be operated between a first position (as shown in FIG. 43) and asecond position (not shown) indicated by direction of arrow B. The firstposition, as shown in FIG. 43, the cam 572 is not in contact with thereadhead holder 530, thereby enabling the reading of information on thecard. As the shaft 574 is rotated in the direction of arrow B, the cam572 also rotates so that areas 576 a, 576 b come into contact with thereadhead holder 530 to pivot the readhead holder 530 away from the cardtrack so that the readhead 550 and readhead portion 559 do not contactthe card surface. In cases where a readhead module such as 500 processescards without magnetic stripes, moving the head out of the card track isadvantageous for the purpose of eliminating unnecessary wear of thereadhead portion 559 of the readhead 550.

As best shown in FIG. 43 a, a readhead 550 includes notches 557 in sides555 a, 555 b of the readhead 550. The readhead 550 is pivotallyconnected to the pins 565 on each readhead holder 530 through thenotches 557. Preferably, the readhead unit 500 can read on both thefront 523 aand back 523 b sides. As above, a spring force biases thereadhead in the card travel direction A, and is applied by springs, suchas springs 535 of the readhead holder 530 shown in FIGS. 42 and 43.

Preferably, the readhead holders 530 are constructed of an at leastpartially flexible material, so that the holders 530 may bend outwardfrom the frame 510 as a card travels through the readhead unit 500.However, the material of the readhead holder 530 preferably is rigidenough to prevent twisting relative to the face of the card to maintainsuitable contact of the readhead portion 559 against a magnetic stripelocated on a card. More preferably, the readhead holders 530 include apivot region 537 disposed between the top 531 a and the bottom 531 b.The pivot region 537 includes portion of the readhead holder 530 that isthinner than the rest of the readhead holder. The pivot region 537enables the readhead holder to bend at the pivot region 537 and functionas a hinge. The pivot region 537 can bend enough to allow clearance ofcards passing through the reader unit 500. Preferably, the readheadholders 530 may bend while still maintaining suitable contact of thereadhead portion 559 against a magnetic strip located on a card.

FIG. 44 illustrates another preferred embodiment of a readhead holder.The readhead holder 530 a includes a rigid frame 590 having a resilientplate 580. Pointed ends 590 a of the rigid frame 590 contact against theplate 580. Preferably, the pointed ends 590 a rest directly against theplate 580. A readhead 550 a is mounted on the plate 580. The plate 580is mounted onto the frame 590 through a fastener 591, such as a screw orbolt. The plate 580 constrains movement of the readhead 550 a in thecard travel direction and in a direction upwardly and downwardlyperpendicular to the card travel direction. Further the plate 580 mayresiliently bend to and from the magnetic stripe of the card to allowclearance of passing cards, while maintaining suitable contact with itsread portion against the magnetic stripe of passing cards.

In another embodiment of a readhead holder, FIGS. 45 a-c illustrate areadhead holder 530 b having a frame 592 that includes supports 592 a.The supports 592 a include pins or bellows 566 that are operativelyconnected to the readhead 550 b at the-slotted notch 557 a (also shownin FIG. 45 c). The readhead 550 b is rotatably connected to the readheadholder 530 b through the pins 566 (FIG. 45 b). As best shown in FIG. 45b, the readhead holder 530 b can be operatively connected to a frame ofa readhead unit schematically depicted as 500 a. Preferably, thereadhead holder 530 b is connected to the frame 500 a, and is biasedusing a spring 570 (FIG. 45 b). FIG. 45 c illustrates the readhead 530 bthat includes a top 554 a and a bottom 554 b. The slotted notch 557 a isshown disposed on the side 556 a. It will be appreciated that side 557 bincludes an identical slotted notch as side 557 a.

In addition to other advantages, the readhead unit 500 provides improvedframe structures and supports for constraining movement of a readheadwhile still maintaining suitable contact against the magnetic stripe ofpassing cards. Further, the readhead unit of the present inventionprovides a structure that is convenient to assemble, and eliminates theneed for adjustments. In addition, the readhead unit provides an easilyreplaceable readhead without replacing the entire readhead unit. Thedesign offers unit that occupies minimal space, having few parts, and iscost effective.

An alternative embodiment of a magnetic stripe reader 1500 for use inthe output hopper 50 is illustrated in FIG. 72. The reader 1500 could beused in other modules as well for reading the magnetic stripe on thecard. The reader 1500 is designed to reduce or eliminate vibrations ofthe card as the magnetic stripe is being read by the readhead, therebymaking data recovery from the magnetic stripe by the readhead morereliable.

One source of these vibrations comes from the use of rigid upper andlower card guide means. The upper and lower card guide means can neverbe exactly parallel to each other or the surfaces are not flat with theresult that there is a space between the card and the guide means at oneend or the other. This space allows the end of the card to move up anddown at that end resulting in similar forward/backward motion of thecard at the readhead. This makes accurate timing of the data difficultand reduces the reliability of the reading function.

In the past, problems of this type have been eliminated or reduced byusing a compliant bias spring member at either the top or bottom cardguide means. This compliant bias spring member contacts the card alongthe entire edge thereby reducing or eliminating any space between thecard and the guide means. However, in some cases it is not possible touse compliant bias spring members, or additional card motion stabilitymay be required.

In the reader 1500 illustrated in FIG. 72, a pair of rubber rollers 1502are mounted below the readhead 1504, one roller 1502 at the front of thecard 1506 and one roller 1502 at the back of the card. The rollers 1502are mounted on suitable bearings on fixed pins 1508. In addition, aroller 1510 is mounted opposite the readhead 1504. The readhead 1504 androller 1510 are preferably mounted in one of the previously describedholders, for example one of the holders 530, 530 a, or 530 b.

The centers of the rollers 1502 are spaced apart a distance to providecompression of the rubber of the rollers 1502. As a result, there issome resistance to the card 1506 as it passes through the rollers 1502.This results in a damping effect on the motion of the card therebyeliminating or reducing rapid motion changes in the card relative to thereadhead 1504 with an increase in read reliability.

An additional rubber roller 1512 also with a suitable bearing on a fixedpin mount 1514 can optionally be used. The roller 1512 is spaced fromthe roller 1502 it contacts to provide compression of the rubber. Theadditional roller 1512 contributes more damping and smoothing of thecard motion relative to the readhead 1504. In this case, it has beenfound that the variations in motion of the card are reduced from about25% to 5%, and the read reliability was increased from 1 error in 20cards to 1 error in 10,000 cards.

Magnetic Head

The present invention also includes improvements relating to magneticheads that are used for writing or recording data to, and reading datafrom, magnetic stripes on the cards.

In one improvement, a chip having memory is placed in the magnetic head,such as the magnetic head of the write unit 144 or the magnetic head ofthe read unit 146, or on the readhead 550. Placing a chip in themagnetic head allows the system 10 to access information about the head,such as part number, capabilities, install date, number of cards passedby the head, etc. This information can be used, for example, to initiatemaintenance, and to keep track of magnetic head service life andperformance. This information can be very useful to improve reliabilityof a module incorporating the head and therefore the system as a whole.This type of information is very difficult to obtain by conventionalmeans as it requires manual entry and correlation to each specific head,and heads could easily be exchanged invalidating the data or leading towrong conclusions.

In another improvement, the magnetic head can include wear detectioncapability. In magnetic heads that are commonly used for recording, weartakes place as cards are repeatedly passed by in contact with the faceof the head. A conventional magnetic head 900 is illustrated incross-sectional side view in FIG. 54. The magnetic performance of a headchanges slightly for the better as it wears down but it becomes moredifficult to maintain good contact with the card as the head wears. Asthe flat area 902 from wear gets larger, small changes in the angularalignment between the head and the card will move the center of the headout of intimate contact with the card leading to performancedegradation. Also, once the head has worn down to the bottom of themagnetic depth md (typically less than 0.02 inches) further wearproduces a sudden failure of the head.

The inclusion of a wear indicator sensor in a magnetic head would allowthe head to be replaced before sudden failure, or on a regular serviceinterval since advance warning would be provided by the sensor. When thehead is new, the value of the head is calibrated and then recorded inthe system 10, or the module in which the head is utilized, or loadedinto a memory chip provided in the head as discussed above. As the headwears, the value of the head changes, and based on a set value,notification would be made to the system 10 that the head should beserviced within a set period of time.

In the preferred embodiment, illustrated in FIGS. 55 and 56, a sensor904 is placed at the contact face of a magnetic head 906. Asemi-conducting material 908 is placed between two layers of conductivematerial 910 a, 910 b, that are surrounded by electrical insulators 912a, 912 b. The resistance measured across conductive material 910 a and910 b depends on the area of the semi-conducting material 908 so that asmaterial 908 is worn away, the resistance will increase. In this way,head wear can be measured that closely resembles the mechanical wear ofthe head 906.

In an alternate embodiment, suitable materials are used to create acapacitive element for monitoring head wear. In yet another embodiment,an external circuit is used to measure the inductance of the electricalwinding 914 used for writing or reading during idle times of the machinecycle. Inductance will change slowly as the head wears but will thenchange rapidly as the magnetic bottom is worn through.

Cleaning Module

FIGS. 57-60 illustrate a cleaning mechanism 1000 of a cleaning modulethat forms one of the modules 40 within the system 10. The cleaningmodule, via the cleaning mechanism 1000, is designed to clean both sidesof the card in order to remove contaminants from the card surfaces.Contamination, such as foreign particles, dirt and oil, on the cardsurfaces can interfere with a personalization task and degrade theresulting quality of the personalization. The cleaning module ispreferably located before the graphics module 600 and the laser module700, because the tasks performed by these modules are particularlysusceptible to card contamination. However, the cleaning module could belocated at any location in the system 10 downstream from the inputhopper 30. In addition, the system 10 could utilize more than onecleaning module.

Many conventional cleaning modules and cleaning mechanisms used thereininclude a pair of cleaning rollers between which a card is passed toremove contaminates from each side of the card. The contaminates arethereafter removed from the cleaning rollers using stripper tape thatcontacts each cleaning roller to strip or remove the contaminates fromthe rollers. An example of a conventional cleaning module and cleaningmechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,111. The stripper tape istypically provided from a supply roll, and after stripping contaminatesfrom the rollers, is wound onto a take-up roll. Thus, stripper tape is aconsumable item that needs periodic replacement.

To extend the life of the stripper tape, the tape is often re-used bytaking the used tape of the take-up roll and using it as the supplyroll. This has disadvantages because it requires user intervention inorder to physically remove the take-up roll and place it onto the supplyroll spool for re-use.

The cleaning mechanism 1000 is designed to resolve this and otherdeficiencies of conventional card cleaning mechanisms. The cleaningmechanism 1000 is designed to automatically re-use stripper tape 1002before the stripper tape is wound onto a take-up roll 1004. Thus, thelife of a supply roll 1006 of the stripper tape is extended, whichreduces the frequency with which user intervention with the cleaningmechanism 1000 is required.

Turning now to FIG. 57, the specifics of the cleaning mechanism 1000will be described. A pair of input rollers 1008 a, 1008 b are providedat the entrance to the module to receive cards from an upstream moduleand drive the cards into the cleaning mechanism 1000. Upper and lowerinput guides 1010 a, 1010 b help guide the cards into the nip betweenthe rollers 1008 a, 1008 b and define upper and lower card tracks thatdefine a card path leading to a cleaning roller assembly 1012.

A pair of output rollers 1014 a, 1014 b, illustrated in FIGS. 58-60, areprovided adjacent the exit side of the mechanism 1000 for driving cardsfrom the cleaning module on to the next module. An upper card guide 1016and a lower card guide (not shown) disposed opposite the guide 1016guide the cards as they exit the roller assembly 1012 and define a cardpath leading to the exit of the module.

As shown in FIG. 57, the input rollers 1008 a, b and the output rollers1014 a, b are driven by an electric motor 1018, for example a steppermotor, via a drive belt 1020 and pulley 1022 for the rollers 1008 a, band a similar drive belt and pulley (not shown) for the rollers 1014 a,b. The input rollers 1008 a, b and output rollers 1014 a, b arepreferably driven at the same speed, for a reason which will becomeapparent below.

The input rollers 1008 a, b drive cards into the cleaning rollerassembly 1012 which includes a pair of cleaning rollers 1024 a, 1024 b(FIG. 57). Cards pass through the nip of the cleaning rollers 1024 a, bso that the roller 1024 a contacts one side of the card and the roller1024 b contacts the other side of the card. The outer surfaces of thecleaning rollers 1024 a, b are tacky or sticky so that contaminates onthe card surfaces are picked up by, and adhere to, the cleaning rollers.The use of cleaning rollers having tacky outer surfaces is described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,401,111. The diameter of each roller 1024 a, b isselected so as to be approximately equal to, or greater than, the lengthof the card, so that outer surface portions of the rollers that havealready contacted a portion of the card do not rotate around to contactanother portion of the card.

With continued reference to FIG. 57, the cleaning rollers 1024 a, b aremounted for rotation on a turret body that includes a lower turret plate1026 and an upper turret plate 1028. Each turret plate defines a tracktherein for guiding the upper and lower edges of the cards as the cardstravel through the rollers 1024 a, b. Drive wheels 1030 a, 1030 b, whichare in driving engagement with each other, are connected to the rollers1024 a, b, respectively, for driving the rollers 1024 a, b insynchronous, opposite rotation. The drive wheels 1030 a, b arepreferably rubber wheels, although other drive wheel types could beused. The drive wheels 1030 a, b are driven by a drive chain thatincludes a driving wheel 1032, for example a rubber wheel, in drivingengagement with the drive wheel 1030 b, a rubber wheel 1034, a firstpulley 1036 connected to the wheel 1034, a belt 1038, and a secondpulley 1040 that is connected to and driven by a shaft 1042 extendingfrom the input roller 1008 b. As a result, the rotation of the cleaningrollers 1024 a, b is synchronized with, and at the same rotational speedas, the rotation of the input rollers 1008 a, b and the output rollers1014 a, b. Therefore, as a card is driven by the input rollers 1008 a, binto the cleaning rollers 1024 a, b, and from the cleaning rollers intothe output rollers 1014 a, b, a smooth transition of the card isachieved.

The turret body comprising the turret plates 1026, 1028 is rotatableabout a central longitudinal axis through the center of the plates 1026,1028, with the axis extending parallel to the longitudinal axes of thecleaning rollers 1024 a, b. The cleaning rollers 1024 a, 1024 b, whichare rotatably mounted on the plates 1026, 1028, rotate with the plates1026, 1028. Rotation of the turret body is used to disengage the driveconnection between the drive wheel 1030 b and the driving wheel 1032,and to position the cleaning rollers 1024 a, 1024 b for subsequentengagement by the stripper tape 1002 to remove contaminates from thecleaning rollers. The turret body is rotated by an electric motor 1044,for example a stepper motor, through a suitable drive mechanism, such asa belt and pulley, that is connected to a shaft that extends downwardlyfrom the turret plate 1026. An example of a mechanism for rotating aturret body is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,111.

A tab 1046 is connected to the upper turret plate 1028, as shown inFIGS. 58-60. A sensor 1048 senses the tab 1046 to determine a homeposition of the turret body. The home position of the turret body isillustrated in FIG. 58, where it is seen that the sensor 1048 will sensethe tab 1046. Removal of contaminates from the cleaning rollers 1024 a,b occurs by rotating the turret body either clockwise orcounterclockwise from the home position. Preferably, the turret body isrotated to a first cleaning position so that contaminates are firstremoved from the cleaning roller 1024 a, followed by rotation of theturret body to a second cleaning position to remove contaminates fromthe cleaning roller 1024 b.

In order to remove contaminates from the cleaning roller 1024 a, theturret body is first rotated in a clockwise direction by the motor 1044to the first cleaning position shown in FIG. 59. In the first cleaningposition, the driving wheel 1032 is no longer engaged with the drivewheel 1030 b, thereby disengaging the cleaning roller drive mechanismand preventing the cleaning rollers from being driven. After thecleaning roller 1024 a is cleaned, the turret body is then rotatedapproximately 180 degrees in a counterclockwise direction from theposition shown in FIG. 59 to the second cleaning position. In the secondcleaning position, the cleaning roller 1024 b occupies the positionformerly occupied by the cleaning roller 1024 a in the first cleaningposition, and the first cleaning roller occupies the position formerlyoccupied by the second cleaning roller. As with the first cleaningposition, at the second cleaning position the driving wheel 1032 is notengaged with either drive wheel 1030 a or 1030 b, so that the cleaningrollers cannot be driven. After the cleaning roller 1024 b is cleaned,the turret body is rotated, preferably in a counterclockwise direction,back to the home position, at which point another card can be driveninto the cleaning rollers 1024 a, b for cleaning.

Details of the stripper tape 1002 and the movements thereof will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 57-59. The stripper tape 1002 issupplied from the supply roll 1006 and used stripper tape is wound ontothe take-up roll 1004. The supply roll 1006 is disposed on a non-driven,rotatable spindle 1050 which rotates when stripper tape 1002 is pulledfrom the roll 1006. An encoder is connected to the spindle shaft todetect supply roll rotation and predict the amount of tape remaining onthe roll. A capstan roller 1052 is biased against the outer surface ofthe supply roll 1006 to resist rotation of the supply roll 1006. Thetake-up roll 1004 is disposed on a spindle 1054 that is rotatably drivenby an electric motor 1056, for example a stepper motor. When it is timeto take-up a portion of used stripper tape 1002, the electric motor 1056is actuated to rotate the spindle 1054 thereby causing rotation of thetake-up roll 1004 to wind a specific amount of used stripper tape ontothe take-up roll.

Turning to FIG. 58, which shows a stand-by position of the strippertape, it is seen that the stripper tape leads from the supply roll 1006and initially passes around a fixed guide roller 1058, then around afirst movable roller 1060, around a first rotatable tape drive roller1062, around a movable backing roller 1064, around a second rotatabletape drive roller 1066, and finally around a second movable roller 1068before proceeding to the take-up roll 1004. The stripper tape 1002 hasone surface 1070 (shown in FIG. 57) that is coated with a substance thatis more adhesive than the surface of the cleaning rollers 1024 a, b. Theadhesive surface 1070 is arranged to face away from the backing roller1064 so that it faces the cleaning rollers 1024 a, b. By contacting theadhesive surface 1070 with the outer tacky surface of the cleaningrollers, contaminates are removed from the cleaning rollers so that thecleaning rollers can perform a cleaning operation on a new card.

With reference to FIGS. 58 and 59, the movable rollers 1060 and 1068 aremounted on slide blocks 1072, 1074, respectively, which are eachslidably supported on a pair of rods 1076, 1078, respectively. Only onerod of each pair is visible in the drawings. The roller 1060 istherefore movable along the axes of the rod pair 1076 with the slideblock 1072 between the position shown in FIG. 58 and the position shownin FIG. 59. Likewise, the roller 1068 is movable along the axes of therod pair 1078 with the slide block 1074 between the position shown inFIG. 58 and the position shown in FIG. 59. A spring 1079 (see FIG. 59)is connected at one end thereof to the slide block 1072, and a spring1080 (see FIG. 58) is connected at one end thereof to the slide block1074. The opposite ends of the springs 1079, 1080 are interconnected bya cable 1081 which passes around a pair of pulleys 1082 a, 1082 b thatare mounted on a plate 1083. The springs 1079, 1080 and the cable 1081synchronize movements of the rollers 1060, 1068 so that, if the roller1060 moves from the position in FIG. 58 to the position in FIG. 59, theroller 1068 will also move from the position in FIG. 58 to the positionin FIG. 59. The purpose of the movements of the rollers 1060, 1068 willbe discussed below.

The rotatable tape drive rollers 1062, 1066 are fixed in position unlikerollers 1060 and 1068. However, the rollers 1062, 1066 are rotatablydriven by respective electric motors 1084 a, 1084 b through suitabledrive mechanisms (not shown) provided under respective roller drivehousings 1063, 1067. The outer surfaces of the rollers 1062, 1066 have acontact surface reducing, knurled texture which allow the rollers 1062,1066 to grip and release the adhesive surface 1070 of the stripper tape1002, and, when the rollers 1062, 1066 are rotated in the appropriatedirection, pull stripper tape from the supply roll 1006.

The backing roller 1064 is mounted on a slide block 1085 (best seen inFIG. 60) that extends under the turret body and is connected to theplate 1083, so that the slide block 1085 and plate 1083 move in unison.The slide block 1085 is slidable along the axes of rod pair 1086 (onlyone rod is visible in FIGS. 58 and 59), and is selectively driven alongthe rod pair 1086 by an electric drive motor 1087 (see FIG. 57) througha suitable drive mechanism (not shown). The backing roller 1064 istherefore movable from the stand-by position, shown in FIG. 58, to acleaning position, shown in FIG. 59, where the adhesive surface 1070 ofthe stripper tape 1002 is brought into contact with the outer surface ofthe cleaning roller 1024 a.

The backing roller 1064 is also movable to the position shown in FIG. 60when loading of a new stripper tape supply roll is necessary. As thebacking roller 1064 moves to the position shown in FIG. 60, the slideblock 1085 contacts the free end of a rod 1087 whose opposite endactuates a lever mechanism 1088 associated with the capstan roller 1052.The slide block 1085 pushes the rod 1087 backward which, through thelever mechanism 1088, forces the capstan roller 1052 out of engagementwith the supply roll 1006 to facilitate removal of the previous supplyroll and loading of a new supply roll. Further, as the slide block 1085moves to the position shown in FIG. 60, arms (not shown) projecting fromeach side thereof contact the slide blocks 1072, 1074, for example byengaging a flange 1089 on the slide block 1074 and a similar flange (notshown) on the slide block 1072 (see FIG. 57). Contact between the armsof the slide block 1085 and the slide blocks 1072, 1074 force the slideblocks 1072, 1074 to the position shown in FIG. 60. Rather thanmechanically driving the roller 1064 to the loading position shown inFIG. 60, a handle 1090 can be connected to the slide block 1085 to allowmanual actuation of the roller 1064 to the loading position.

The positions of the various rollers in FIG. 60 facilitates loading ofnew stripper tape, because the tape does not need to be threaded throughthe relatively tortuous tape path formed by the rollers in the stand-byposition shown in FIG. 58. Instead, the tape 1002 is simply passedaround the roller 1058, passed between the rollers 1060, 1064, 1068 andthe rollers 1062, 1066, and wound onto the take-up roll. Once the newtape is loaded, the roller 1064 is driven back to the stand-by positionshown in FIG. 58, with the rollers 1060, 1068 automatically returning totheir stand-by positions.

The cleaning cycle of the cleaning mechanism 1000 will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 58 and 59. With the stripper tape 1002 in thestandby position (FIG. 58), a card is passed between the cleaningrollers 1024 a, 1024 b which pick up contaminates from the cardsurfaces. The cleaned card waits at the exit of the cleaning moduleuntil the adjacent downstream module is ready to receive the card. Theturret body is then rotated in a clockwise direction which disengagesthe cleaning roller drive mechanism and brings the cleaning roller 1024a into position ready for cleaning. The backing roller 1064 is thendriven toward the cleaning roller 1024 a to the position shown in FIG.59 until the stripper tape 1002 contacts the outer surface of thecleaning roller 1024 a.

The tape drive roller 1066 then rotates counterclockwise to pull tapeforward across the surface of cleaning roller 1024 a. Tape driven inthis direction causes the length of tape between tape drive roller 1066and the take up roll 1004 to increase allowing the movable roller 1068to move toward the card path. Simultaneously the length of tape betweenthe supply roll 1006 and the tape drive roller 1062 is decreased, whichforces the movable roller 1060 to move away from the card path. Thelength of tape moved in this direction is equal to, or greater than, thecircumference of cleaning roller 1024 a to ensure that the entire rollersurface is cleaned. If the movable roller 1060 reaches the limit of itstravel and more tape is still required, the remainder of the tape neededwill be peeled off the supply roll 1006.

With the surface of cleaning roller 1024 a cleaned, the backing roller1064 returns to the ready position (see FIG. 58) disengaged from thecleaning roller 1024 a. Tape drive roller 1062 then rotates clockwise topull tape backward, in the opposite direction. Tape driven in thisdirection causes the length of tape between tape drive roller 1062 andthe supply roll 1006 to increase allowing the movable roller 1060 tomove toward the card path. Simultaneously the length of tape between thetake up roll 1004 and the tape drive roller 1066 is decreased forcingthe movable roller 1068 to move away from the card path. The length oftape moved in this direction will determine the amount of tape that willbe reused. This length is selectable and ranges from zero (e.g. noreuse), to a length equal to the forward tape movement (e.g. 100%reuse). If the tape length moved backwards is less than the tape lengthmoved forward, the movable roller 1068 will not reaches its readyposition. In this case the take up roll 1004 will be driven clockwisecausing the movable roller 1068 to move away from the card path until itreaches its ready position. The turret body is then rotated in acounterclockwise direction 180 degrees to place cleaning roller 1024 bin position for cleaning. The rest of the roller cleaning cycle is thenrepeated for the cleaning roller 1024 b.

It should be noted that both rollers do not need to be cleaned duringone card cycle. The first roller 1024 a could be cleaned, the turretretuned to its home position, then another card passed between thecleaning rollers 1024 a, b, followed by the cleaning of the secondcleaning roller 1024 b.

Rollers

Rollers are often used, for instance, in card personalization systems.Typically, rollers are used to transport cards from processing module toprocessing module, including entry of cards into processing modules andexiting of cards out of processing modules. In addition, rollers areused within processing modules, such as, in input hoppers for pickingcards, or in graphics modules passing cards from a set of rollers usedfor entry of a card to a set of rollers employed for processing thegraphics onto a particular card. In the past, rollers have employed ahub portion having a cylindrical body connected to the hub, andproviding a surface for gripping a card. Further, a set screw appliedthrough the body and the hub attaches the roller to a rotatably drivenshaft.

Although these designs may be suitable for their purposes, improvementsmay still be made upon rollers. There is still a need to preventstripping of set screws, set screws becoming loose during operation, anddirt entering the set screw head. Further, there is a need to provide animproved structure that is convenient for assembly, while stillmaintaining cost effective parts. The following description illustratesthe features and improvements made upon existing designs of rollers inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGS. 46 to 48 illustrate one preferred embodiment of a roller. Theroller 400 includes a body 410 having top 421 a, a bottom 421 b.Preferably, the body is a cylindrical body having an opening 417 throughthe top 421 a and the bottom 421 b, that defines an inner diameter 411 band outer diameter 411 a. More preferably, the cylindrical body 410 isconstructed of a compliant or resilient material such as rubber. Theroller 400 includes a hub 430 connected to the cylindrical body andhaving an opening 433 through the top 431 a and bottom 431 b. Theopening 433 defines an inner diameter 437 b and an outer diameter 437 a.At least two through holes 435 oppositely disposed are transverselylocated to the opening 433.

The cylindrical body 410 may be connected by an interference fit withthe hub 430. In addition, the cylindrical body 410 may be molded ontothe hub 430.

As shown in FIGS. 49 a and 49 b, a retention member 450, such as a pin,may be fitted into one of the oppositely disposed transverse throughholes 435 and connected to a rotatably driven shaft (not shown). Theshaft also would include a corresponding through hole, so that theretention member 450 may fit through the shaft and across to the otheroppositely disposed transverse through hole 435. Preferably, theretention member extends a length out from the oppositely disposedtransverse through holes.

As shown in FIGS. 46 to 48, a lip portion 413 resides about thecircumference defined by the outer diameter 411 a of the cylindricalbody 410. Preferably, the lip portion 413 is flexible as the cylindricalbody is constructed of a compliant material. The lip portion 413includes a width and defines a recess area 415 between the lip portion413 and the inner diameter 411 b. The lip portion provides a retentionmeans for the retention pin 450 (FIGS. 49 a and 49 b). Preferably, therecessed area resembles a dished out area about the circumference of thecylindrical body 410. FIGS. 46 to 48 illustrate the recess area aboutthe entire circumference of the cylindrical body 410. However, it willbe appreciated that any suitably sized recess area may be employed toaccommodate retaining the pin.

Preferably, the hub is constructed of metal parts. However, it will beappreciated that a plastic material may also be employed.

FIGS. 50 to 53 illustrate another preferred embodiment of a roller. Theroller 400 a includes a hub 430 a and body 410 a similar to the hub 430and body 410 described above. Two recess areas 415 a are illustrated ateach of the oppositely disposed transverse holes 435. As shown in FIGS.51 to 53, the cylindrical body employs different sized recesses 415 athan the dished out recess area 415 above. The hub 430 a, and otherfeatures of the body 410 a are substantially similar to the descriptionsabove and are not further detailed.

In addition to other advantages, the rollers of the present inventionprovide improved retention structures. For instance, the transverseholes and recess area in cooperation with a retention member, such as apin, eliminate the need for a set screw. The roller offers theadvantages of preventing stripping of its retention parts, and anarrangement that is more difficult to wear. Further, the roller of thepresent invention provides a more convenient configuration for assemblyand disassembly. For instance the resilient lip may be depressed toremove the retention pin without the need for a screwdriver. In additionto the above advantages, the roller of the present invention provides astructure that is cost effective and maintenance friendly.

Take Up Roll Spindle

Take up rolls are often used in the processing modules of a cardpersonalization system, for instance, in a print module, a graphicsmodule or a cleaning module, such as described above. Take up rollscollect used web product for disposal after a supply of web product,such as from a supply roll that is spent. Typically, during collectionof used web product, the take up roll core bears a high amount of forcefrom the web product being tightly wound onto it. The force of the woundweb product around the core can cause the core to compress which makesit difficult for the web product and core to be removed from the spindlefor disposal. Present designs have disposed of both the take up rollcore and the used web product wound around the core. Such designsincrease costs and consume time, as the take up roll must be replacedafter each roll of used web product is collected. In addition, localrestrictions may require the core to be removed from the web product anddisposed of separately

Therefore, there is a need to provide a spindle that enables users toconveniently dispose of used web product without having to remove anddispose of the core. Furthermore, there is a need to provide a spindlefor a take up roll that can be reused to minimize the replacement ofparts, thereby reducing costs and increasing time efficiency.

FIGS. 61-62 illustrate one preferred embodiment of a spindle 1100 for atake up roll. The spindle 1100 includes a top 1120 a and a bottom 1120b. First oppositely disposed primary housing portions 1130 and 1135 andsecond oppositely disposed secondary housing portions 1132 (shown inFIGS. 63-63 a) define an outer side surface 1127 of the spindle 1100.The primary and secondary housing portions 1130, 1132, 1135 furtherdefine a cavity 1190 (shown in FIGS. 63-63 a) extending from the top1120 a to the bottom 1120 b. The secondary housing portions 1132 aremoveable relative to and in contact with the primary housing portions1130. Preferably, the primary housing portions 1130 and 1135 are largerthan the secondary housing portions 1132, and define a majority of theouter surface 1127. The outer side surface 1127 is substantiallycylindrical for winding used web product. A first plate 1121 is disposedon the top 1120 a of the spindle 1100. Likewise, a second plate 1123 isoppositely disposed from the first plate 1121 at the bottom 1120 b ofthe spindle 1100. The second plate 1123 includes a shaft portion 1123athat is adaptable for connection to a drive shaft (not shown) fordriving the spindle 1100.

Preferably, both plates 1121, 1123 include a cut-out surface 1121 bdefining a ridge 1121 a about the circumference of the plate, andcooperating with lip portions 1133, 1134 connected to the housingportions 1130, 1132. The housing portions are retained within thecut-out surface 1121 b and are restricted from moving past the ridge1121 a. As shown in FIG. 62, the cut-out surface 1121 b and ridge 1121 aare illustrated at the first plate 1121. It will be appreciated thatsimilar structures may be employed on the second plate 1123 and bottomsof the housing portions 1130, 1132.

As best shown in FIG. 62, the spindle 1100 includes a rotating member1150 disposed within a portion of the cavity 1190 and extendingcoaxially in the cavity 1190 between the top 1120 a and the bottom 1120b. The rotating member 1150 is operatively connected to a handle 1140disposed on the first plate 1121. The rotating member 1150 and thehandle 1140 are rotatably connected to plates 1121 and 1123, and arerotatable relative to the first plate 1121, second plate 1123, and thehousing portions 1130, 1132. The rotating member 1150 includes at leasttwo flanges 1150 a that protrude radially outward from the rotatingmember 1150. Rollers 1152 are operatively connected to the rotatingmember 1150, and are contactable with the primary and secondary housingportions 1130, 1135 and 1132. Preferably, the rollers 1152 are connectedto the rotating member 1150 through resilient O-rings so as to allowrestricted rolling movement between the rollers 1152 and the rotatingmember 1150. More preferably, the rotating member 1150 contains the sameO-rings 1154 commonly connected with the rollers 1152, such as in afigure eight configuration. In FIG. 62, o-rings 1154 are illustrated asdashed lines at the tops and bottoms of both the rotating member 1150and the rollers 1152.

In FIG. 62, two oppositely disposed flanges 1150 a are disposed at a top1155 a of the rotating member 1150, and extend longitudinally downwardfrom the top 1155 a along a length of an outer side surface of therotating member 1150. It will be appreciated that other configurationsand number of flanges also may be employed. For instance, flanges mayextend longitudinally downward along the entire length of the rotatingmember 1150. Likewise, oppositely disposed flanges, such as 1150 a, mayalso be disposed at a bottom 1155 b of the rotating member 1150. Bossesprojecting down from surface 1121 b of the first plate 1121 form stops1121 c that limit the range of rotation of the rollers 1152, rotatingmember 1150 and flanges 1150 a, as best shown in FIGS. 63, 63 a. It willbe appreciated that stops, such as stops 1121 c, may be formed on thesecond plate 1123. The function of the rollers 1152 and rotating member1150 are further detailed below.

A locking mechanism 1142 is operatively connected to the handle 1140.The locking mechanism 1142 includes a detent 1142 a operativelyconnected thereto, and is actuatable into a locked position so as toprevent rotation of the handle 1140 and rotating member 1150. In thelocked position, the detent 1142 a stops the handle 1140 from rotatingand stops the rotating member from rotating. The detent 1142 a of thelocking mechanism 1142 is releasable from the locked position, so as toenable rotation of the handle 1140 and rotating member 1150.

FIGS. 63-63 aillustrate examples of the spindle 1100 in a firstconfiguration and a second configuration, respectively. The firstconfiguration represents the spindle 1100 in a position prior to takingup web product and during the taking up of web product. The secondconfiguration represents the spindle in a position such that web productcan be removed. In FIG. 63, the spindle 1100 includes a first diameter1125 during the first configuration. The rotating member 1150 is shownin a position where the flanges 1150 a are held against the rollers 1152that push the secondary housing portions 1132, such that the secondaryhousing portions 1132 are pushed outward from the cavity 1190 to definethe first diameter 1125.

Preferably, the primary housing portions 1130 and 1135 include an innersurface facing the cavity 1190 provided with a tapered surface 1130 a.More preferably, the primary housing portion 1130 is fixed to at leastone of the plates 1121, 1123 through holes 1130 c that correspond toholes (not shown) in the plates 1121, 1123. It will be appreciated thatthe primary housing portion 1130 may be fixed to both plates 1121, 1123.A suitable fastener, such as a screw, may be employed to fix the onehousing portion 1130 to the plates 1121, 1123. The other primary housingportion 1135 is moveable within a cut-out surface, such as cut-outsurface 1121 b of the plate 1121, and is retained by a ridge and lipstructure, such as ridge 1121 a and lip 1133 described above. Thetapered region 1130 a tapers or slants in a direction toward the outersurface 1127. The secondary housing portions 1132 include side surfaces1132 a that contact the tapered surface 1130 a of the primary housingportions, and move relative to the primary housing portions 1130 and1135. Preferably, the side surfaces 1132 a are tapered. As shown inFIGS. 63 and 63 a, the secondary housing portions 1132 include the outersurface 1132 b being smaller than the inner surface 1132 c. Preferably,the secondary housing portions are substantially trapezoidal or wedgeshaped in cross section.

In FIG. 63 a, the second configuration represents the spindle 1100 in aposition for removing used web product. As shown in FIG. 63 a, thesecondary housing portions are shown as being moved inwards toward thecavity 1190. In addition, the movable primary housing portion 1135 isshown as being moved inwards toward the cavity 1190. A second diameter1125 a is defined by movement of the housing portions into the secondconfiguration. The rotating member 1150 is shown moved counterclockwise,relative to the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 63, in a position wherethe flanges 1150 a are rotated away from rollers 1152. The movement ofthe rotating member 1150 enables the rollers 1152 to roll against thesurface of the rotating member 1150 and the inner surface 1132 c of thesecondary housing portions 1132 as rollers 1152 move. As shown in FIG.63 a, movement of the rollers 1152 allows the secondary housing portions1132 to move inwards and collapse to the cavity 1190. Similarly, themovable primary housing portion 1135, is moved from its position in thefirst configuration, and is enabled to move inwards and collapse to thecavity 1190. The moved housing portions define the second diameter 1125a. The second diameter 1125 a is smaller than the diameter defined inthe first configuration enabling the now loosely wound web productaround the spindle 1100 to be easily removed by sliding the web productup and off of the spindle.

When the locking mechanism detent 1142 a is defeated the handle 1140 canbe rotated with the connected rotating member 1150 so as to releaselocking mechanism 1142 and actuate the spindle 1100 into the secondconfiguration to enable removal of web product. As shown in FIG. 63 a,the rotating member 1150 is moved counterclockwise into the secondconfiguration. To move the rotating member 1150 and rollers 1152 back tothe first configuration, the handle 1140 is rotated in the clockwisedirection until the rollers 1152 contact stops, such as stops 1121 c andthe cavity 1190 is expanded to its maximum. In this position the lockmoves into its detent position locking the position of the handle andpreventing the rotating member 1150 from rotating.

When web product is wound around the spindle 1100 of a take up roll, asubstantial amount of force is exerted upon the rollers 1152.Preferably, the spindle 1100 and its parts are constructed of a metalmaterial so as to provide a durable, long lasting core that can counterthe force exerted by the web product wound around the spindle 1100. Morepreferably, the rollers 1152 are cylindrical in shape, such that theforce required to move the rollers is the force necessary to overcomethe friction associated with rolling motion and not sliding. The motionof rollers 1152 against both the rotating member 1150 and the secondaryhousing 1132 portions is a rolling motion and requires minimal force toinitiate even if the compressive force on the outer spindle surface isgreat. The cylindrical shape of the rollers provides an arrangement suchthat the rotating member 1150 and the rollers 1152 can be easily movedfrom the first configuration to the second configuration to change thediameter for removing web product when the rotating member 1150 is notlocked by a locking mechanism, such as 1142 above.

In addition to processing modules of a card personalization system, thespindle 1100 may be used for other take up rolls employed for otherproducts, such as but not limited to paper, plastics or other productsbeing wound on a core. In addition to other advantages, the spindle ofthe present invention enables users to conveniently dispose of used webproduct without having to remove and dispose of the core with the usedweb product. Further, the spindle of the present invention provides atake up roll that can be reused to minimize the replacement of parts,thereby reducing costs and increasing time efficiency.

Embossing Module

Details of portions of the embossing module 1200 are illustrated inFIGS. 64-68. The embossing module 1200 is configured and arranged toform embossed data on the cards. The embossed data can be alphabetic,numeric, symbols, and other characters and combinations thereof. Thesewill hereinafter be referred to generically as characters. The embossedcharacters typically pertain to cardholder information, such ascardholder name, account number, card expiration date, and the like.

FIG. 67 illustrates a portion of the embossing module 1200. The module1200 includes an embossing wheel 1202 composed of a punch side 1204 anda die side 1206. The punch side 1204, which is of known construction,contains a plurality of punches arranged in a circular fashion. Eachpunch contains a punch character used to produce a correspondingembossed character on the card. The die side 1206, also of knownconstruction, contains a plurality of dies arranged in a circularfashion. Each die contains a die character that corresponds to arespective oppositely positioned punch character. When the punch isactuated into engagement with a card, the corresponding die is actuatedinto engagement on the opposite side of the card from the punch, therebycreating a corresponding embossed character on the card. Duringembossing, the card will be suitably positioned between the punch anddie sides 1204, 1206. After embossing, the card will exit the modulethrough an exit path 1208. The wheel 1202 is driven by a motor 1210.Further, a punch actuator and a die actuator are provided to actuate theindividual punches and dies of the punch side 1204 and die side 1206during embossing.

The construction and operation of the embossing module 1200 described sofar are conventional. One way to increase the card throughput of thesystem 10 is to reduce the time needed to emboss a card. Embossing timeis based, in part, on how fast the punches and dies of the wheel 1202can be brought into position during embossing, and on how fast thepunches and dies can be actuated into and out of engagement with thecard. Therefore, reductions in the rotation time of the embossing wheel1202 and in the actuation times of the punches and dies can increaseproduction rate. Although increasing the speed of rotation of the wheel1202 during movements, and increasing punch and die actuation speeds ispossible, these speed increases can create problems if not properlyaccounted for.

With reference to FIG. 64, an actuator 1220 that can be used to actuatethe punches is illustrated. An identical actuator will be provided toactuate the dies. The actuators 1220 will be suitably positionedrelative to the punch side 1204 and die side 1206 to be able to actuatethe respective punches and dies.

The actuator 1220 includes a drive motor 1222, preferably a servo motor,a plunger 1224 that is slidably disposed within a housing 1226, and adrive cam 1228 that is fixed to a shaft 1230 of the motor 1222 fordriving the plunger 1224. The motor 1222, housing 1226 and plunger 1224are shown in cross-section for clarity and to illustrate detailsthereof. The use of a cam to drive a plunger is known from DataCardCorporation's model 150i embosser, available from DataCard Corporationof Minnetonka, Minn.

The plunger 1224 includes an actuating end 1232 that actuates thepunch/die when the plunger is actuated to an actuating position. Theopposite end of the plunger 1224 includes a follower 1234 that rides onthe outer surface of the cam 1228 as the cam is rotated. The outersurface of the cam 1228 is eccentric, whereby as the cam rotates, theplunger 1224 is driven out during an actuation cycle. The plunger 1224is biased by a suitable mechanism, such as a spring 1236, back to aretracted position. A pin 1238 extends through the follower 1234 andconnects to a bearing 1240 that is disposed within an elongated slot1242 defined in a block 1243 connected to the housing 1226. The bearing1240 helps to keep the follower axis aligned with the cam axis to ensureline contact between the two, and thereby realize maximum life.

The cam 1228 is configured to be clamped onto the shaft 1230 by alocking screw 1244. As illustrated in FIG. 65, a sleeve 1246 is disposedbetween the cam 1228 and the shaft 1230. The sleeve 1246 acts to absorbwear instead of the shaft 1230. As a result, the shaft needs to bereplaced with less frequency. Instead, the sleeve 1246 can be replacedas needed.

The sleeve 1246, which is preferably made of metal, such as stainlesssteel, comprises a pair of constant diameter end portions 1248 a, 1248 band a collapsible central portion 1250 about which the cam 1228 isdisposed. The central portion 1250 comprises a pair of cut-out fingers1252 a, 1252 b that are able to collapse into engagement with the outersurface of the shaft 1230 as the cam 1228 is clamped onto the shaft. Theend portions 1248 a, 1248 b, however, are substantially unaffected bythe collapse of the fingers 1252 a, 1252 b and maintain a substantiallyconstant diameter.

An important feature of the actuator 1220 is that the cam 1228 isdirectly mounted on and driven by the motor shaft 1230. In previousembossers, the cam is typically mounted on a shaft that is separate fromthe motor shaft. As a result, a coupling is needed to couple the twoshafts. When two shafts are used, if exact alignment of the shafts isnot achieved, or if the shafts become misaligned during use, excessiveshaft wear and shaft failure can results. However, it is extremelydifficult to exactly align the shafts with each other, so these problemscannot be entirely eliminated when separate shafts are used.

In the actuator 1220, as shown in FIG. 64, the cam 1228 is mounteddirectly on the motor shaft 1230, which eliminates the alignment issueswhen two shafts are used. Each end portion 1248 a, 1248 b of the sleeve1246 surrounds the shaft and is supported by the housing 1226 within asleeve bearing 1254 a, 1254 b. Further, the opposite end of the shaft1230 is supported by a bearing 1256. An intermediate portion of theshaft 1230, near the top of the motor housing, is provided a reduceddiameter section 1258. A bearing 1260 disposed in the motor housingsurrounds the section 1258. The bearing 1260 acts only as a retainer toretain the shaft 1230, but the bearing 1260 is non-functional in that itdoes not rotationally support the shaft 1230. The reduced diametersection 1258 allows the shaft 1230 to bend and float slightly duringuse. However, the sleeve bearings 1254 a, 1254 b maintain the properorientation of the shaft 1230 at the location of the cam 1228 and absorbthe embossing loads. Thus, the shaft 1230 is supported by three bearings1254 a, 1254 b, 1256 rather than the customary four bearings that areused to support two separate shafts coupled by a coupling.

Returning now to FIG. 67, the motor 1210 is preferably a servo motor. Toachieve fast move times of the embossing wheel 1202, large currentpulses are provided to the servo motor 1210 to actuate the motor.However, when the embossing wheel 1202 stops at a desired position, thelarge current pulses tend to cause the wheel 1202 to oscillate slightlyback and forth from the desired position. This oscillation can createslight inaccuracies in the positioning of the resulting embossedcharacter on the card. Therefore, a reduction or elimination of theoscillation can improve the accuracy of the embossing process.

As illustrated in FIG. 67, a friction brake 1270 is positioned adjacentthe end of the shaft 1272 of the motor 1210. The friction brake 1270includes a brake shaft 1274 that is coupled to the motor shaft 1272 by arigid coupling 1276. The brake 1270 and coupling 1276 are shown incross-section to illustrate details thereof.

The brake 1270 preferably comprises a magnetic particle brake. Magneticparticle brakes are known in the art, and generally include a disk thatis coupled to the shaft 1274, with the disk being surrounded by magneticparticles. When an electric current is applied to the particles, a forceis applied to the disk tending to retard rotation of the shaft 1274.Removal of the electrical current removes the retardation force. Aspracticed, a current is continuously applied to the brake 1270 toproduce a constant retardation force. However, it is contemplated thatelectrical current could be applied only when the retardation force isnecessary.

It is to be realized that other friction devices could be used in placeof a magnetic particle brake, as long as the friction device is capableof retarding rotation of the shaft 1274. For example, a spring loadedfriction device could be used.

The brake 1270 is secured to a mounting bracket 1278 that in turn isfixed to stationary structure 1280 of the module 1200 by fasteners 1282.The brake 1270 is secured to a central portion 1284 of the bracket viafasteners 1286 (only one fastener is visible in FIG. 67). The bracket1278, which is illustrated in detail in FIG. 68, includes a pair ofcompliant arms 1288, 1290 that extend outwardly from the central portion1284.

With the mounting of the brake 1270 on the bracket 1278, the brake 1270is prevented from rotating. However, the compliant arms 1288, 1290permit flexing of the brake 1270, to thereby accommodate forces that cancause slight misalignment of the shafts 1272, 1274.

The operation of the brake 1270 is as follows. A current is supplied tothe motor 1210 to rotate the wheel 1202 to the desired position. Therotation force is sufficient to overcome the retardation force appliedby the brake 1270. Once the desired position is reached, the current tothe motor is stopped. However, forces set-up in the servo motor afterremoval of the current tend to cause the shaft 1272 to oscillate backand forth slightly. However, the retardation force provided by the brake1270 is larger than the forces tending to cause oscillation. As aresult, the retardation force of the brake 1270 maintains the wheel 1202at the desired position without the oscillation, thereby increasing theaccuracy of the embossing process.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the invention. Since manyembodiments of the invention can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claimshereinafter appended.

1. An identification document personalization system comprising: adocument input for inputting identification documents into the system, aplurality of processing modules, and a document output for collectingprocessed identification documents, wherein at least two adjacentmodules of said plurality of processing modules are configured toprocess at least one document at a time, each of said two adjacentmodules has its own document transport mechanism, and each of said twoadjacent modules are controlled so that a document must be completelytransferred out of the downstream module of said two adjacent modulesbefore the downstream module can receive a new document from theupstream module of said two adjacent modules.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein each module of said plurality of processing modules areconfigured to process at least one document at a time, and each of saidmodules are controlled so that a document must be completely transferredout of a module before the module can receive a new identificationdocument.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein each module includes anentry photocell and an exit photocell, said photocells capable ofdetecting documents entering and exiting the respective module.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the identification documents comprise cards.5. A method of processing identification documents comprising: providingan identification document personalization system having a documentinput for inputting identification documents into the system, aplurality of document processing modules including at least a first anda second processing module, each of the first and second processingmodules having its own document transport mechanism, the secondprocessing module being arranged adjacent to and downstream from thefirst processing module, each of said first and second modulesconfigured to process at least one document at a time, and a documentoutput for collecting processed identification documents; processing afirst identification document in the first processing module and asecond identification document in the second processing module; andoutputting the second identification from the second processing moduleusing the transport mechanism of the second processing module, andthereafter outputting the first identification document from the firstprocessing module using the transport mechanism of the first processingmodule and inputting the first identification document into the secondprocessing module.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein each module of saidplurality of processing modules are configured to process at least onedocument at a time, and controlling each of said modules so that adocument must be completely transferred out of a module before themodule can receive a new identification document.
 7. The method of claim6, further comprising detecting a document entering and exiting eachmodule.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first and secondidentification documents comprise cards.
 9. An identification documentpersonalization system comprising: a document input for inputtingidentification documents into the system, a plurality of documentprocessing modules, each module having its own document transportmechanism, and a document output for collecting processed identificationdocuments; and a plurality of said modules include a status indicator,each status indicator is arranged to be visible to an operator of thesystem from the exterior of the respective module.
 10. The system ofclaim 9, wherein each module includes a status indicator, each statusindicator is arranged to be visible to an operator of the system fromthe exterior of the respective module.
 11. The system of claim 10,wherein each module includes a cover, and the status indicators arevisible through the respective cover.
 12. The system of claim 9, whereinthe document input includes a status indicator that is arranged to bevisible to an operator of the system from the exterior of the documentinput.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the document output includes astatus indicator that is arranged to be visible to an operator of thesystem from the exterior of the document output.
 14. The system of claim9, wherein the identification documents comprise cards.
 15. Anidentification document personalization system comprising: an operatorstation; a document input for inputting identification documents intothe system, a plurality of document processing modules, and a documentoutput for collecting processed identification documents; and a buttondisposed on at least one of the document input and the document output,or on one of the document processing modules, the button capable ofpausing the system when pressed.
 16. The system of claim 15, comprisinga button on each of the document input and the document output, eachbutton capable of pausing the system when pressed.
 17. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the buttons are capable of pausing the system andrestarting the system after being paused.
 18. The system of claim 15,wherein the operator station includes a button that is capable ofstopping the system when pressed.
 19. The system of claim 15, whereinthe identification documents comprise cards.
 20. An identificationdocument personalization system comprising; a document input forinputting identification documents into the system, a plurality ofdocument processing modules, each module having its own documenttransport mechanism, a document output for collecting processedidentification documents, and a system controller that controlsoperation of and transfers data to and from the document input, thedocument processing modules and the document output, wherein one or moreof the document input, the processing modules and the document outputdefine a trough on backsides thereof; and at least one data line fromthe controller to the document input, at least one data line from thecontroller to each of the respective the processing modules and at leastone data line from the controller to the document output, the data linescommunicating data and control commands between the system controllerand the document input, the processing modules, and the document output,and the data lines are received in the trough.
 21. The system of claim20, wherein the trough is defined by the card input, tho processingmodules and the card output.
 22. The system of claim 20, wherein thedocument input, the processing modules and the document output eachinclude a passage through a backside thereof, each said passagepermitting passage of the respective data line.
 23. The system of claim20, wherein the identification documents comprise cards.
 24. Anidentification document personalization system comprising: a documentinput for inputting identification documents into the system, first andsecond adjacent document processing modules each having its own documenttransport mechanism, and a document output for collecting processedidentification documents; the first and second processing modules eachincluding a mounting mechanism, the mounting mechanisms of the first andsecond modules include structure for aligning and connecting themounting mechanisms to one another; and the mounting mechanism of one ofthe first and second modules includes a support bracket that ispositioned to be adjacent the mounting mechanism of the other one of thefirst and second modules, whereby the support bracket is shared betweenthe first and second modules for mounting processing mechanisms of thefirst and second processing modules.
 25. The system of claim 24, whereinthe mounting mechanisms of the first and second modules includes aplurality of locator pins and a plurality of locator holes.
 26. Thesystem of claim 24, wherein the identification documents comprise cards.27. A method of processing identification documents, comprising:providing an identification document personalization system having adocument input for inputting identification documents into the system, aplurality of document processing modules including at least a first anda second processing module, each of the first and second processingmodules having its own document transport mechanism, the secondprocessing module being arranged downstream from the first processingmodule, each of said first and second modules configured to performsimilar processing procedures and configured to process one document ata time, and a document output for collecting processed identificationdocuments; simultaneously performing similar processing procedures on afirst identification document in the second processing module and asecond identification document in the first processing module; and afterthe similar processing procedures are complete, outputting the firstidentification document from the second processing module using thetransport mechanism of the second processing module, and thereafteroutputting the second identification document from the first processingmodule using the transport mechanism of the first processing module. 28.The method of claim 27, wherein the two modules comprise one of magneticstripe modules, embossing modules, integrated circuit chip programmingmodules, multi-color printing modules, monochromatic printing modules,laser modules, graphics modules, cleaning modules, topping modules, andpunching modules.
 29. The method of claim 27, wherein the first andsecond identification documents comprise cards.
 30. The method of claim27, wherein the first processing module is disposed next to the secondprocessing module.